Divine Intervention
by venusmercurysunev
Summary: When murders strike the quiet town of Bon Temps, Anamaria, a simple Arts student, gets dragged into the seductive and deadly world of Vampires, meeting her Destiny along the way. Slight AU. Godric/OC/Eric.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 1**

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

 _How had it come to this,_ Anamaria thought hard as she sat in her car, looking out the window towards the open door of the club, its name glowing red on a neon sign. _Fangtasia._ Such a terrible, and kind of funny, name. Anamaria went clubbing with her friends from time to time, but tonight would be like nothing she had ever experienced. If you hadn't guessed right away, _Fangtasia_ was no ordinary bar; it was a vampire bar. And why was Anamaria, a mere Performing Arts student and part-time bartender, sitting outside a vampire bar with a man – _a vampire_ – she hardly knew and didn't really like? That was a long and complicated story.

"Ana." Bill Compton, her vampire companion for the evening, asked from beside her. She turned her head to look at him. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

She looked back at the bar's entrance, catching sight of her reflection in the glass of the car door window. Dressing for the evening had been difficult, almost impossible. Anamaria was not a Goth-y person, and didn't have much in the way of black leather, which she could already see was what everyone in the club seemed to be wearing. In the end, she'd chosen black skinny jeans, sky-high red stilettos, a red long-sleeved blouse with a low V-neck and a black half-corset from her theatre collection to go over it. Not quite black leather and a dog collar, but it would have to do. For her hair, nothing could be done. No matter what she wore, she knew she wouldn't fit in with the 'fang-bangers' in the club – she was known in the small town of Bon Temps as being the only girl with a none-natural hair colour, and she doubted vampire bars saw many people with brightly coloured hair. To her, her hair was another form of self-expression and art; she'd had her pastel blues, greens, purples, oranges and pinks ever since she turned sixteen. It drove Adele mad, but the kindly lady said nothing about it.

Turning back to Mr Compton, she answered in her slightly accented voice, "I don't _want_ to do this. But I have to. I owe it to Jason; he's practically my brother."

Bill looked slightly troubled, but nodded and exited the car. He headed around to her side and opened the door for her; he could be a true Southern gentleman at times, even if he did creep her out a little. She couldn't quite pinpoint exactly what it was about him that unnerved her. Whether it was his overly charming demeanour, or the way he looked at her when he didn't think she was paying attention; something about him just didn't seem right, so she kept a polite distance from him. Not that that helped much; he had developed a habit of coming into Merlotte's – the bar/restaurant she worked at – or dropping by her home to ask if she'd like to take a walk with him.

Getting him to accompany her to _Fangtasia_ that night had been an awkward experience for her. Two women in Bon Temps had been murdered in the past week, and her close friend Jason Stackhouse was a prime suspect and in police custody. Both women also had vampire bites on their bodies. Never being a girl with an everything-will-work-itself-out attitude, Anamaria had taken it upon herself to investigate the possibility of a vampire murderer, and she'd heard about _Fangtasia_ , the most famous vampire bar in the whole of Louisiana. Knowing it would be dangerous to go alone, she'd asked Bill Compton – the only vampire she knew – to accompany her. His face had lit up when she'd asked him, even when she'd firmly told him that it wasn't going to be a date, but his enduring smirk had said it all.

Anamaria climbed out of the car, making sure to not take Bill's offered hand as she did so – he mustn't think it was a date! He closed the door for her and she locked the car, and then the two of them headed into the bar. As they were walking in, Bill slipped his arm around Anamaria, gripping her hip in his cold hand. She turned her head toward him and glared. _Don't touch me_. She subtly, but firmly, pushed his hand off her, then looked around the bar. Oh yes. Definitely a vampire bar.

"Bill." A woman came to stand in front of them. Absolutely beautiful, and dressed in a corseted black dress, Anamaria could tell she was a manager for the bar. "Haven't seen you here in a while."

"Yes. I've been mainstreaming."

"Good for you." The woman, clearly a vampire, turned to Anamaria, her eyes roving the young girl's body. "Who's the doll?"

"Pam, this is Anamaria. Anamaria, this is Pam."

"Nice to meet you." She didn't offer her hand to shake, her gut telling her it wouldn't be taken. The look on Pam's face only confirmed that thought.

"Can I see your I.D?"

Anamaria hesitated for a second, but recovered and pulled out her purse. "Yeah, sure. Who would've thought, being carded in a vampire bar?" She joked as she removed her driver's licence from her purse and handed it to Pam.

"I can no longer tell human ages. We must be careful we serve no minors, in any capacity."

"Oh, I get that; I'm a bartender." She chatted, taking back her I.D.

"Twenty-three, huh? How sweet it is." Pam drawled, her silky voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well you can't be much older, right?" Anamaria joked, intending it as a compliment to the vampire. Pam said nothing, only walked away. "Okay then…" Bill gently nudged her forward with a hand on the small of her back and led her deeper into the bar. As Anamaria took in the overly Gothic and dark décor of the bar, an amusing thought struck her. "This kind of seems like what _Vampire Bar_ would look like if it were a ride at DisneyWorld. Look, they're even selling t-shirts!" She pointed to a corner of the bar where an employee was selling a shirt and cap to a customer.

"Well don't get too comfortable; it tends to get more authentic as the night goes on. May I get you a drink?" She nodded and allowed him to escort her to the bar. They waited for only a minute before a vampire bartender served them.

"How's it going, Bill?"

"Well, thank you."

"I'll say," He looked at Anamaria, his fangs extending with lust on his face, "This your meal for the night?"

Anamaria raised an eyebrow at him, knowing her usual response of 'fuck you!' wouldn't go down well.

"This is my friend Anamaria. Ana, this is Long Shadow."

 _Long Shadow? Really?_ "Nice to meet you." Anamaria toned flatly, no enthusiasm in her voice. "Gin and tonic, please."

"And I'll have a bottle of O-neg." Bill added. As Long Shadow began to prepare their drinks, Anamaria caught Bill's eye, nodding her head to the bartender. Bill gave her a minute nod. "Long Shadow, Anamaria would like to ask you a few questions. Is that acceptable to you?"

When the bartender didn't respond, Anamaria reached into her bag and pulled out the two photos she'd brought with her, one of each of the murdered women. "I'd just like you to look at these photos, see if you know these women?" She placed them down in front of the creepy vampire, who looked them over.

"Yeah, I've seen them here before."

 _A lead!_ "Great! And do you know, maybe, who they were with? If they left with anyone?"

Long Shadow leant in and whispered harshly, "That's something we don't notice here."

 _So much for that…_ "Well thanks anyway, I appreciate it."

He picked up the photo of Maudette Pickens, the first woman to be found dead. "This one, she wanted to die."

Anamaria hesitated. She had never known Maudette was suicidal, or even depressed. She had always seemed a bit lonely, but suicidal? "When you say 'die', do you mean 'actually die' or 'become a vampire'?" Long Shadow just stared at her, his intense gaze making her skin crawl. "Okay then."

Bill paid the bartender and picked up their two drinks as Anamaria took back the two photos of the murder victims. Moving through the bar, they found seats and sat down. Keeping her bag in her lap, Anamaria took a drink to try to distract herself from the stares she was receiving. She should have worn a black wig or something…

"How's your drink?" Bill asked, twisting open the cap of his Tru Blood.

She smiled dully. "A gin and tonic's a gin and tonic, no matter where you drink it."

He returned her smile as he took a sip of his blood. "I know exactly what you mean." Amused by his joke, Anamaria lifted her glass and clinked it with his in a bizarre and sarcastic toast. "Any idea what you're looking for?"

"Not really. Beyond coming here and asking around, I don't have much of a plan…" She trailed off. He nodded and sat quietly, giving her the chance to lower the walls in her mind that blocked out everyone else's thoughts. Anamaria was a telepath; she was able to hear and listen to people's thoughts. Hardly anyone knew, but most people in Bon Temps knew there was something 'freakish' about her. Over the years, she'd worked on building 'walls' in her mind, letting her block out everyone's ramblings, but she never found any peace. Keeping her walls up was taxing, and after a while, her strength began to weaken and thoughts started slipping through the cracks in her walls.

The second she lowered her walls, the noise of people's inner monologues hit her, and she grimaced. Bill looked concerned, but by now knew not to touch her. For some reason, Anamaria couldn't hear vampire thoughts, perhaps because vampires weren't technically alive, and had no brain waves. That was Bill's only redeeming feature for Anamaria, that she could have some semblance of quiet when she was around him.

' _Oh my god, he's so beautiful, so powerful. The closer I get to him, the more beautiful he gets! You can do this, just go up there and offer yourself to him.'_

Anamaria looked around the club, looking for whoever had thought that, intrigued and slightly disturbed by the images that flashed through the man's mind. As she looked around, she paused when she found him, and the object of his thoughts. The bar had a stage of sorts, with a wooden throne on it. Lounging in that throne was a man, beautiful and powerful, just as the man had thought. Long blonde hair shielded his face from full view, but Anamaria could feel that he would be heartbreakingly handsome.

"Who's that?" Anamaria asked Bill, nodding her head to the man in the throne.

Bill sulked. "Oh, you noticed him, did you?" He sounded annoyed, like a child whose friend was playing with another child. "Everyone does. That's Eric. He's the oldest thing in this bar."

As he spoke, the man from before – a middle-aged bald man, quite pathetic looking – crawled to Eric's throne, clearing 'offering himself' to the vampire. The blonde vampire merely kicked him back, the force of his blow sent the man flying back through the bar, crashing into a table. Vampires around him immediately scented the blood from a cut on his head, their fangs extending. A female vampire shot in front of him, offering him her hand as she spoke to him, but Anamaria was too far away to hear what she said.

"Still think you're in DisneyWorld?" Bill asked sarcastically. Anamaria looked back to him and shook her head, taking a nervous sip of her drink. A little time passed after that show, and Anamaria and Bill just sat quietly as she listened to people's thoughts.

' _How come no-one'll fuck me? I've got a dog collar too!'_

' _Hey Morticia, how'd you like me to rip that tape off your tits?'_

' _Is it gay if the guy's a vampire?'_

' _I'm gonna get kicked outta my frat if I don't fuck a vampire tonight!'_

Bill broke through the run of thoughts. "Are we going to sit here all night?"

She glared at him weakly. "You didn't have to come with me. And I don't think anyone here will have anything useful to say. They're probably only thinking sex." Anamaria obviously knew exactly what every person – every _human_ at least – was thinking, but she hadn't told Bill about her little 'ability', and she had no plans to either.

He smiled back at her. "One needn't be psychic to pick up on that." He drank from his Tru Blood, but then froze. "Uh-oh."

She turned her back to him. " _'Uh-oh'_? Don't say 'uh-oh'! Vampires don't say 'uh-oh'!" She ordered with a pointed finger.

"It's Eric." He nodded his head towards the vampire sitting in the throne. "He's scanned you twice; he's going to summon us."

Anamaria snapped her head around to look at the vampire in question. Pam was now standing next to his throne, both vampires looking directly at her. "He can do that?" She asked incredulously.

"He can indeed." And just like that, the blonde vampire lifted a hand and beckoned them over. "See?" Bill sounded resigned, already standing up.

"Can I finish my drink first?" Anamaria snapped sarcastically, still facing Eric, knowing his super-powered vampire hearing would let him hear her question, even from across the loud bar. The blonde vampire didn't react, just kept staring at her. "That's a 'no' then." She sulkily stood up, putting her bag on her shoulder and picking up her still half-full drink. A discreet look on Bill's face told her she was pushing her luck by taking her drink with her. She didn't care. "What? He won't let me finish it in private, and you paid $10 for it." Taking a long drink for courage, Anamaria let Bill lead her through the bar towards Eric's throne, his hand on the small of her back.

As they got closer to the blonde vampire, an odd feeling started growing within Anamaria. A feeling of… _right_. It was _right_ that she was getting closer to him, that she would talk to him and be near him. It was also _wrong_ that Bill Compton was touching her. It was an unsettling feeling, considering she had never even seen Eric before, but now all she wanted was to be near him.

Anamaria and Bill stood in front of the two vampires, and waited. Now that she was closer to him, Anamaria felt something in her reaching out to Eric, like an invisible hand reaching out to him from within her. As Eric's eyes settled on hers, she felt something come from him too.

"Bill Compton, it has been a while." He spoke softly, still keeping his eyes on hers. He had a slight accent; Swedish? Norwegian? Anamaria couldn't place it.

"Yes." He spoke awkwardly. "I've been-"

"Mainstreaming, I hear." Eric's face was blank, but the smirk in his voice was obvious. "I see that is going well for you." He looked back to Anamaria, his gaze intensifying.

"Yes, of course. Eric, this is my friend-"

He interrupted, "Anamaria Santiago."

The rainbow haired girl demanded, "How do you know my name?"

"I never forget a pretty face." Pam smirked. "You're in my vault." She touched her temples and winked at the girl.

"Great. That's just great." She drawled sarcastically. "Nice to meet you." She said to Eric, drinking from her gin and tonic again, hoping it would give her courage.

"Well aren't you sweet."

"Not really." She snapped from behind her glass. From beside her, Bill pinched her hip. It was clearly a warning not to antagonise Eric, but she just glared at the Southern man.

In front of her, Eric smirked and spoke to Pam in a strange language, who replied in kind. Although Anamaria hadn't understood a single word of what they'd said, she could feel that it was about her. Switching back to English, Eric spoke. "Miss Santiago, I hear you've been asking questions about some of my customers."

"Yes, I have."

"If you have anything to ask, you should ask it of me." He said firmly, giving her strong eye contact.

Feeling chastened but not wanting to appear weak, she nodded and reached into her shoulder bag, pulling out the two photos of Maudette and Dawn. "Alrighty then. Have you ever seen these girls before?"

He took the photos and looked at them closely. He hummed. "This one," Maudette, "Offered herself to me, but I found her too pathetic for my attentions." He looked at Dawn's photo. "Now this one, however, I have tasted."

A strange roll of jealousy shot through Anamaria, but she tried to push it down. Unsuccessfully. Eric smirked; he clearly knew how she felt.

Pam spoke up, cutting through the tension between Eric and Anamaria, "I remember them both."

"From your vault?" Anamaria snapped sarcastically. Bill pinched her hip again, more firmly that time. Eric's eyes darkened briefly, but Anamaria ignored him.

"Never had either of them though. They weren't really my type."

"Mine neither." Anamaria joked, hoping to offset them by making a joke. It didn't work, both vampires remained impassive. Did vampirism destroy someone's sense of humour? "Well thank you very much," She snatched back the photos from Eric, "That's all your time I need." She turned to walk away, but Eric's voice stopped her dead.

"I'm not finished with you."

"Of course not." She mumbled. She turned back and plastered on a smile.

"Please, sit." His polite tone didn't hide the order behind it. Downing the rest of her drink, Anamaria settled into the chair on Eric's right, crossing her legs delicately. From behind her, she could feel Pam's gaze on her shapely jean-clad legs. "Well Bill," Eric started, still examining Anamaria closely. She made sure to keep eye contact with him, "Are you quite attached to your friend?" His sultry tone made Anamaria's heart beat faster.

"She is mine!"

Fury flooded Anamaria, her head snapping up to glare at Bill. "What did you just say?"

"I just meant-"

"I am no-one's!" With her eyes on Bill's face, she didn't see Eric's delighted look. "I don't know who you think you are, Bill Compton, but you do _not_ own me." She snarled, her eyes filled with rage.

Eric chuckled next to her. "Why don't you join us, Bill? We have catching up to do, you and I." His eyes briefly left Anamaria's face to look at Bill, but the moment the Southerner had sat down on Eric's other side, the blonde vampire looked back to Anamaria, his eyes slowly moving over her body in a clear inspection of her Latina curves.

' _Where the fuck is my back-up? They were supposed to be here ten minutes ago! Fuck! I can't handle this club on my own!'_

Anamaria's head spun around as she flicked her eyes throughout the bar, eventually determining who that worrying thought belonged to; a man in a baseball cap, clearly nervous and fidgeting as he tried to dance casually with a young vampire.

"I have to go." She stood up, swinging her bag onto her shoulder.

"Ana-" Bill cautioned, tensing in his seat.

"Eric, the cops are coming; there's going to be a raid." She explained in a hushed tone.

"Are you an undercover cop?" He demanded menacingly.

"No, but the guy in the baseball cap is." She said as she looked down at him.

Eric and Pam glanced over at the nervous man. "Even if you're right, we do nothing illegal here."

Quickly scouting the bar with her telepathy, a strong image hit Anamaria. The man who had offered himself to Eric, only to be kicked across the bar, was being fed on by the vampire who had helped him up after he had flown into a table. "The guy you kicked before is in the bathroom, being fed on by a vampire named Taren." She said coldly and smoothly.

Before Eric could ask her any more questions, the front door to the bar burst open and riot police swarmed through the club. The bar's customers cried and screamed in fright as the police surged through the bar space, pushing people around fiercely.

"Come with me." A cold large hand took hold of her wrist and pulled her back. Before she even turned around, Anamaria knew that it was Eric who was holding her. Turning quickly before she fell over in her heels, she followed him, Pam and Bill off the stage, along a back corridor and out a door into the night air.

"Pamela, watch the raid from the tree line; stay hidden until it blows over. Compton, return to your home."

The Southerner turned to the blonde vampire, looking at the man's hand as it remained on Anamaria's wrist. "Eric, I can take Anamaria-"

"Go. Now." He ordered firmly, his cold tone leaving no room for argument. Without waiting for a response, Eric scooped the Latina into his strong arms. Anamaria didn't know what happened next, as they were suddenly airborne and flying at an alarming rate. Anamaria gave a startled squeak of fear – she had never flown in airplane before, let alone in a man's arms! – and wrapped her arms tightly around the vampire's neck.

Eric said nothing for the whole flight, and Anamaria didn't dare to. She didn't know who this Eric was, what he was like, or what he was capable of; she didn't want to say or do anything to upset or anger him. Keeping her eyes closed for the journey, she let out a sigh of relief when she felt Eric slow down and land on solid ground. He walked for a minute before stopping, freeing his neck from her grip with one hand while supporting her with his other arm. Was he that strong that he could lift her using only one arm?

As he put her down, she wobbled a little in her heels and took a step back to look at his smirking and beautiful face. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Santiago. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other in the future." With a wink full of dark promise, he shot into the sky, leaving her alone.

In her disorientation, it took Anamaria a minute to steady herself, her head spinning from the night's events and the dizzying flight with the vampire. When she turned to look at her surroundings, she was both relieved and confused when she saw her house, the porch light on so she could safely let herself in. Stumbling up the stairs onto the porch, she fumbled with her keys before letting herself into the house as quietly as she could, locking the door behind her. Taking off her stilettos and leaving them by the door so she wouldn't wake Adele, Anamaria headed upstairs to her bedroom, collapsing onto the bed with an exhausted sigh.

What the hell had just happened?


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 2**

A gentle knocking on Anamaria's bedroom door woke her the next morning. The door opened with a soft squeak, footsteps crossed the room and the curtains were opened, filling the room with bright morning sunshine. As soon as the light hit Anamaria's face, she groaned loudly and rolled over in bed, desperately wanting to go back to sleep after her late night out at _Fangtasia_.

"Come on, Anamaria, up you get. Daylight's burning! Up, wash and dress; breakfast'll be ready in five minutes." A no-nonsense voice ordered from above her as her comforter was pulled off her. "Why on Earth did you sleep in your clothes? Sometimes I think I'll never understand you, Anamaria Santiago."

Resigned to her fate, Anamaria rolled onto her back and heaved herself into a sitting position. Rubbing her eyes, she opened them and blinked against the bright sunshine coming through her windows. She looked to the alarm clock on her bedside table; 8am. She'd gotten in at around two in the morning, so she hadn't had too bad of a night's sleep.

Climbing out of bed and realising that she had indeed slept in her clothes – which explained why her back was so stiff, from sleeping in the tight bodice she'd worn last night in an effort to appear 'Goth' – Anamaria headed to the bathroom down the hall to wash up. After she felt a little bit more human and was dressed in clean clothes, she headed downstairs.

Hearing the cooking sounds coming from the kitchen was always a comfort to Anamaria, the nice sounds being so different to her childhood home. Heading into the kitchen, Anamaria took a moment to watch Adele, as she did every morning. She owed her life to that woman. Not many other women would have been as kind as Adele Stackhouse had been to her – a troubled child in foster care, and then when her 'ability' had come out, most other people would have sent her back to the State, like a broken toy. But not Adele. Adele had taken her in, raised her as her own grandchild, and had even helped her control her telepathy, all the while never judging her on her past. Anamaria knew she would never find another soul on this Earth as genuinely kind as Adele Stackhouse.

"Good morning." Anamaria greeted, heading to the fridge to take out the orange juice for the both of them to drink.

"Good morning to you too, young lady. Should I ask how much you drank last night?" Adele gave her a stern look as she stirred the scrambled eggs in the pan on the cooker.

"I only had one drink, _abuelita_."

"Then why were you sleeping in your clothes, like a sloth?"

Anamaria smiled in spite of herself as she poured them both a glass of juice. "It was a weird night; I was drained when I got home."

"Why, what happened?"

Anamaria explained the night's events as the two women ate breakfast together, smiling at Adele's reactions to various things she talked about – _Fangtasia_ , its clientele, its staff, its owner…Adele was less than pleased to hear that Anamaria had been alone with a vampire after only just meeting him…

"This Eric man sounds…"

"Dangerous?" Anamaria suggested sarcastically with a sip of her juice.

"Intriguing. You say he _flew_ you home?"

"He did indeed."

"Did he have wings?" Anamaria laughed, but Adele sounded genuinely curious.

The Latina shrugged, "I didn't see any."

"Maybe he's like Peter Pan – he could fly but he didn't have wings."

A brief image of Eric Northman in a Peter Pan costume flashed through her mind, before she shook her head to clear the disturbing thought. "I don't know how it works. Maybe I'll ask him at some point. But I'm not sure I'll even see him again…"

Adele regarded her closely, her fingertip running around the edge of her glass. "You sound disappointed about that."

Anamaria's head shot up. She couldn't deny that the thought of never seeing Eric Northman again did upset her a little. But why should it? She had only met him the once, and only for a few minutes, and in that time he had only seemed interested in her body, not her mind or her soul. Anamaria couldn't be with a man who only wanted her for sex; she'd been down that road before…

Anamaria changed the subject. "What have you got planned for the day?"

!"!

The afternoon passed quickly. With Adele out of the house, Anamaria spent her time in her room, pushing her body through its usual hard workout routine of yoga and sit-ups followed by an almost punishing run on her treadmill. Adele always thought the treadmill made a lot of noise when it was being used, so Anamaria only used it when her pseudo-grandmother wasn't around – her telepathy made it very hard to enjoy a run out in the open. By the time she was done with her workout, had showered and dressed for work, and then done some reading for one of her college classes, it was almost time for her to leave for work. Through her busy afternoon, she didn't even notice that the sun had set.

As Anamaria was finishing putting on her make-up for work, there was a knock on her bedroom door. Adele stepped into the room and hurried over to her vanity table.

"Anamaria, I just had a thought. Mr Compton said that he fought during the Civil War, did he not?"

"Uh, yeah I think so." She said a little awkwardly as she finished putting on her lipstick.

"Do you suppose you could ask him whether he would be willing to give a talk to the Descendants of the Glorious Dead?" Adele organised a group of people who had relatives who had fought in the Civil War.

"Why do _I_ have to ask him?"

"Well," Adele started slowly, "Mr Compton does seem to…"

"Adele, how many times? I am not interested in Bill Compton." Anamaria stated firmly.

The older woman seemed confused. "But I thought he seemed quite keen?"

"Yeah, _he's_ keen – I'm not." She said decisively as she lightly dusted her cheekbones with blusher. Given her natural tan, she didn't need much of the product.

"May I ask why?" Adele asked gently. "He seems gentlemanly enough."

"It's not that." Anamaria dabbed her neck with perfume. "It's…There's just something about him."

"What do you mean? Has he been ungallant?" Adele asked, outraged at the possibility; she was very protective of Anamaria about things like that.

"No. It's just that…Sometimes I feel like…" Anamaria struggled with how to phrase her feelings, "He's not who he says he is. I just don't trust him, and I don't know why."

A knock on the front door downstairs interrupted the women's conversation. Adele gave Anamaria a sympathetic look, patting her hand kindly before leaving the room and heading downstairs. Anamaria stood in front of her mirror as she checked her work uniform – her long-sleeved t-shirt and black jeans were clean, ironed and presentable, so she grabbed her bag and started heading downstairs.

As she came onto the upstairs landing, she heard Adele inviting someone inside, offering them a seat in the living room. She descended the stairs, catching Adele's attention.

"Anamaria, you have _two_ gentleman callers." Adele couldn't sound happier if she tried.

But the Latina frowned in confusion. No doubt, one of the men was Bill Compton, but who could the other one be? "Who is it?"

"It's nice to see you again, Miss Santiago." _Eric fucking Northman._

!"!

Anamaria stared at the occupants of the living room. Bill Compton and bold-as-brass Eric Northman stood in the middle of the room, the former looking furious at the latter who merely smirked at Anamaria.

Not wanting to appear rude in front of Adele – the woman would have her hide if she were rude to guests – she plastered a smile on her face and stepped into the living room. "Good evening Bill. Mr Northman, this is a surprise."

"A happy one, I hope?" He asked through his smirk. He was teasing her, no doubt knowing she didn't want to be rude to him.

She just smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"I came to return your car." From his back pocket, he withdrew a set of car keys. When Anamaria looked closer, she could see that they were indeed hers. A look out the window confirmed that her little yellow Honda was parked in front of the house.

Genuine surprise and gratitude filled Anamaria as she took in Northman's kind gesture. "Thank you very much, that was kind of you." She took her keys from him.

"I also came to ask a favour."

"More like an order." Bill grumbled unhappily.

"That would depend on how Miss Santiago chooses to look at it." Northman merely grinned at Bill. The anger on Bill's face peeked Anamaria's interest. Turning back to the young woman, he spoke again. "I ask for your help to investigate some goings-on at my club."

"What kind of goings-on? And what makes you think I could help?"

He gave a quick glance to Adele, who had the courtesy to be pretending to water the plants in the hallway while she chaperoned their meeting. "It would be best if we went to _Fangtasia_ to discuss this in greater detail."

"I can't tonight; I'm working." She gestured to her uniform.

"Perhaps after work?"

She shook her head. "I won't finish until at least 1am; I'll be too exhausted to be helpful."

"Next week then; _Fangtasia_ closes on Monday nights."

"I believe Ana will also be working that night too. Won't you, Ana?" Bill asked her firmly, obviously prodding her to refuse Northman's favour.

The pushy look on his face only made her surer of her answer. "I can do next week. Monday? What time?"

"Around nine in the evening?"

"I'll be working the lunch shift, so nine's no problem. I'll drive myself there, if that's alright."

"Of course." Northman gave her a small bow of his head, giving her a wink which from hidden from Bill by his long blonde hair curtaining his face.

"Well, if that's everything, I need to head off to work." A thought struck her. "Bill, what are you doing here?"

He looked very put out that she had only just thought to ask. "I came to ask if you would like to take a walk with me. But seeing as you are heading to work…"

"Yeah, maybe another time?" She hoped she sounded non-committal. Why couldn't he just take the hint?

"Of course." He glared quickly at Northman, who seemed to be enjoying Anamaria's subtle rejection of Bill. "I believe it is time we took our leave, Eric."

"So soon? Such a pity." The tall blonde god gave Anamaria a flirtatious look, but straightened up to his full height. "But I do believe Miss Santiago will be late for work if we do not leave soon." He gestured for Anamaria to head to the front door, and followed after her, eyeing her Latina curves as he did.

In the hallway, Adele put down the empty watering can and opened the door for the unlikely trio. "Have a good shift at work, darling." She gave Anamaria a kiss on her cheek. "Nice to see you again, Mr Compton."

"Ms Stackhouse." Bill nodded his head respectfully to the elderly lady.

"And it was nice to meet you, Mr Northman."

"My good lady, I must insist you call me Eric." He gave Adele a gentlemanly smile and a friendly wink.

The elderly lady almost swooned. "Yes, _Eric_." She chuckled nervously as the three of them stepped out onto the porch, Anamaria watching the scene in disbelief. Why on earth was Northman being so charming towards Adele? Her evening could not get any weirder.

!"!

She was wrong; her evening got weirder, and worse. The bar was busy, as it always was, and Anamaria spent her night pouring beer and mixing the occasional cocktail. It was repetitive, but Anamaria liked it; the harder the job was, the harder she found it to keep up the 'shields' inside her mind that blocked out everyone's thoughts. She was distracted from time to time and a few stray thoughts slipped through the cracks, but tonight was a good night for her shields. Until the Rattrays showed up.

The Rattrays, Mack and Denise, were as 'white trash' as could be. They were loud, pathologically rude, cussed every five seconds, prejudiced to everyone who was not exactly like them, and drug addicts to boot. Everyone in town hated them, including Anamaria, who unfortunately bore the brunt of most of their hatred whenever they came to Merlotte's – as a girl of Mexican-Cuban decent, from foster care, with multi-coloured hair; she was apparently an easy target.

"Yo, beaner!" Mack bellowed from the other side of the room. "Another pitcher!"

' _Deep breath, Ana, deep breath'_ , she said to herself as she inhaled slowly and counted to five before exhaling. "If you want one, come over here and ask nicely." She went about her business mixing a Margarita for her friend Tara, who was on her way to the bar.

"You fucking what?" Screeched Denise. "What you fucking say to my husband!"

"You heard me." Anamaria poured the cocktail into a glass, then put it in the fridge to keep cool.

"I outta come over there and rip your fucking eyes out!" Denise climbed out of the booth she and her husband were sitting in, but she wobbled in her too high heels and almost fell to the ground.

"Go home, guys, now!" Sam, the owner of the bar, ordered as he stood next to Anamaria. The young bartender had had no end of trouble with the Rattrays in the past; luckily everyone else in the bar liked Anamaria and hated the Rattrays, so back-up was always close at hand. Seeing that they were clearly outnumbered, the Rattrays stumbled out of the bar, cussing, shouting and knocking into people as they went.

Anamaria's night only went downhill from there.

!"!

Anamaria finished work just as 1am was approaching, saying goodnight to Sam and heading out to her car. Just as she was about to put the key into the lock of the car door, a twig snapped behind her. As she turned her head to look around, she was blindsided to the punch that landed on her cheekbone, sending her crashing into the side of her car. Another punch landed on the bottom of her ribcage, knocking the wind out of her.

A hand grabbed her hair and started pulling viciously, dragging her through the dirt, before throwing her to the ground; kicks came to her stomach, her shoulders, her hips. Everywhere was on fire and in agony; she could hardly scream through the blows that rained down upon her.

"You fucking cunt!" A woman – _Denise Rattray_ – shouted above her, kicking her nose and breaking it.

"Filthy little spic!" A man – _Mick Rattray_ – cried from behind her, delivering a hard kick to the small of her back. Even through the pain, Anamaria felt something break inside her. Her back was broken.

"Where are your fucking friends now, huh?" Something hard, metal maybe, landed on her hip from behind; her hip was broken.

Another kick to the face made Anamaria black out, the world fading around her.

 _Let this be it. Please no more. Just let me die…Finally._


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 3**

" _Anamaria." A soft and gently accented voice spoke to her. She knew that voice. She had heard it before, always at times like these – times when her life was in danger. His beautiful face appeared to her, with his soft brown hair and his piercing blue eyes staring into her very soul, as they always did. "Anamaria, go back." His voice was soft and kind, but with a firm undertone. She had always listened to him before. "You are so close to me now. Go back, and be patient." Why did she need to be patient? Wasn't he just her guardian angel, watching over her? If her time was close, why must she suffer any longer? Why could she not just die right then? An ugly frown furrowed his brow. "Anamaria, go back." He ordered again. "Now."_

A growl penetrated the ringing in Anamaria's ears, bringing her back to a sluggish consciousness. She struggled to open her eyes, the small movement feeling like a Herculean task.

"Well look at the little doggy!" Mack taunted from above Anamaria. Was he talking about her? She felt like a thoroughly beaten piece of meat, lying in the dirt at their feet, perhaps he was talking to her. There was a small metallic click: a gun. Determined to at least look her killer in the eye, should it come to that, Anamaria opened her eyes just in time to see Mack be thrown into the air, crashing into the side of his truck on the other side of the car park.

Panicked, Denise looked around the open wooded area, her breath coming in short gasps. "Show your face, freak!"

From her position on the ground, Anamaria couldn't see what happened next. There was a whooshing sound, a terrified female scream, and two brutal snaps. A body fell to the ground, gasps filling the air.

"Please! Stop! Let me go, please!" Denise was begging.

Two sets of footsteps drew closer to Anamaria, a pair of leather boots moving around her body to stand in front of her face. The body crouched in front of her, a cold hand stroking her cheek gently. She was safe.

"Subdue the humans."

"What are you-?"

"Just do it, Compton."

The last thing Anamaria saw before passing out again was a pair of ice blue eyes and long blonde hair.

!"!

"Anamaria." A strong male voice spoke above her. "Anamaria." Cool fingers trailed across her forehead. "Anamaria, you need to wake up now."

The voice was so forceful and authoritative that she knew she could not disobey. Opening her eyes, she gasped. "Eric?"

"You need to heal."

As soon as he said it, the pain flooded back to her. She cried out as every part of her body felt as if it were dying. "My-My back...I can't feel my legs..." She choked on the pain and shock of the night's events. Her eyes flicked around rapidly. "Where are we?"

"The swamp near that dive of a bar." Eric cradled her with one strong arm as he moved his free wrist to his mouth. With a small click, his fangs extended and he bit into his wrist, blood immediately dripping down over his white skin.

"Eric!" A man cried from the side. Anamaria couldn't turn her head, but she could hear Bill Compton near to them. "What are you doing?" He sounded outraged.

"She needs blood."

"What if she doesn't want yours?"

"You want her to die then? We all know she would not want your blood." Eric snapped. Compton fell silent. Eric's eyes went back to Anamaria. "Drink, Anamaria."

"I don't want to be a vampire." She protested weakly.

"You won't Turn. But you must drink now!" Eric pushed his wrist onto her mouth, his blood spreading across her lips and slipping into her mouth. She coughed against the sudden onslaught of the warm thick fluid, but then moaned as painless bliss enveloped her only a second later. Suckling tentatively, like a nervous infant, Anamaria closed her eyes as every ounce of pain vanished from her body, a haze clouding her mind. She had never felt such a feeling before.

Above her, Eric's fangs stayed out as lust ran through him, from both the feeling of Anamaria sucking his blood from his wrist, and the knowledge that she would now and forever be tied to him from that same blood – his blood – that was now sliding down her throat and filling her body. He turned his head to look at Bill Compton, an arrogant smirk on his handsome face.

After a minute, Eric pulled his wrist away from Anamaria's face, his ego and male pride swelled as she gave a disappointed moan and sought out his wrist. The blonde vampire chuckled lowly, stroking her cheek with the back of his knuckles. "Rest now, Anamaria. Just rest." He gently laid her back down on the grass, hovering over her as he examined her body. A small crack sounded from within her body, her back arched and she groaned lowly; her spine had snapped back into place and was now healed. Her skinny jeans wrapped around her delicious and womanly curves, her t-shirt hugging her generous breasts and trim waist. Even though her face was caked in both of their blood, Eric could not deny her beauty. If anything, the sight of her covered in blood only made her appeal more to the vampire.

"What are you doing, Eric?" Bill snarled from a few feet away.

"It would be such a waste to merely wipe away that blood." He teased, licking his lips.

"Somehow, I doubt Anamaria would be happy with you tasting her blood."

"Then how do you propose I clean her? Do you have a cloth with you?" He asked sarcastically, lifting his head to glare at the Southerner. "I didn't think so." He lowered his head to take a swipe of the blood on her jawline. Bill snarled viciously, his own fangs popping out, and he lunged at the Sheriff. Eric, being so much older than Bill, stopped him with a single hand wrapped around his neck. "You forget your place, Compton."

"Ana would not want you to-!"

"Ana _maria_ ," He emphasised the second part of her name, "is not as averse to me as you would like to believe. Moreover, need I remind you, Compton, that I am the Sheriff of this Area; _I_ give _you_ orders, not the other way around. Now," He squeezed Bill's throat in warning, "Go and retrieve the humans who did this. I will take them with me to _Fangtasia_ , after I have returned Miss Santiago safely to her home." He shoved the Southerner away, and once again lowered his head to Anamaria's.

The feeling of something soft and damp running over her skin brought the Latina out of her sleep. She moaned lowly and opened her eyes, the only muscles willing to co-operate. She saw a necklace dangling in front of her face and longed to reach out and touch it, but none of her limbs wanted to work. It looked like a fang of some kind, or a small claw.

"Eric?" She asked uncertainly. She got a low hum in response. "Why are you licking me?"

A throaty chuckle vibrated through the chest above her. "I've never had any complaints before about how I use my tongue." In her sleepiness, Anamaria giggled at his lewd joke. "I'm cleaning away your blood." He answered her question. When he was finished, he pulled back and supported himself above her, licking his lips clean of her blood.

"How do I taste?" She slurred a little, the vampire blood making her tired and hazy.

He smirked. "Like milk and honey, quite intoxicating."

"How do you know what milk and honey tastes like; you can't eat them."

"I remember from my human years, even if that was some time ago."

"How long?"

Eric smirked again. "Is that your coy way of asking how old I am?" Her arms finally managed to work, reaching up to touch his necklace, twirling it between her fingertips. "I was made Vampire over one thousand years ago."

"You're so old!" She giggled to herself, fiddling with the necklace, her tongue poked out between her lips as her face scrunched with concentration.

Taking advantage of her drug-addled candour, Eric asked, "Anamaria, what are you?" He knew she had to be something supernatural; she was definitely not human.

"I'm a student and a bartender." She continued to play with his necklace.

"And what else?"

"I'm a telepath; I hear people's thoughts."

"Even mine?"

"No." She gave him a goofy smile, reaching up with one hand and cupping his cool cheek. "I can't hear you at all. It's one of the reasons I like you so much – you're quiet. You've no idea how peaceful it is to be around you, after years of 'blah, blah, fucking blah'."

He chuckled, amused by her honesty and slurring. He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "So you like me, huh?"

"Yeah. But shush! Don't tell Adele, or Bill, or Eric!"

"Alright, I won't tell Eric."

Bill emerged into the small clearing again, watching the two of them with anger in his eyes. "What aren't we telling Eric?"

"I like Eric." Anamaria giggled.

"Not many others do." Bill grumped.

Eric looked at the area behind Bill in suspicion. "Where are the humans?"

The Southerner raised his head a little and jutted his chin. "I disposed of them."

Eric blinked. "Why?"

"Because they were trash, they wouldn't have told you anything."

"They would have done so if I had Glamoured them!"

"Well what about Ana? Would she have been happy knowing that you were ' _questioning_ ' the people who did this to her?"

"I do not believe you did this for Ana _maria_ 's benefit, Compton." Eric snarled as he gave a small nod towards Anamaria's bloody body. Bill's eyes flashed with anger, his hands clenching at his sides. "Leave, now." He ordered. Bill vamped away immediately. "Now, Miss Santiago," He slipped an arm under Anamaria's torso and lifted her into a sitting position, "We must get you home."

!"!

Adele Stackhouse was not, as a rule, a worrier. But as the time drew closer to 2am and she still hadn't received a call from Anamaria to let her know that the younger lady was on her way home, Adele began to worry. She always waited up for her charge; her old age and slight insomnia meant that the elderly woman was never asleep before one in the morning – the time that Anamaria normally finished work – so Adele liked to wait for her, to make sure she was home safe. But Ana always called the house phone before she began her short drive from work to home, just to let Adele know that she was on her way. That call always happened by 1am, 1:15 if Ana was running a little late or got to talking with Sam. But as the minute hand on the kitchen clock drew closer and closer to striking the hour, Adele's concern grew.

She stared out the kitchen window at the driveway leading from the main road up to the house, her current book forgotten on the kitchen table. Her heart started to pound as she saw a pair of headlights head towards the house. What if it was the police, here to tell her that there had been an accident, or a fire, or another murder? Rushing to the front door, she let out a sigh of relief but then choked on it when she took in the sight before her. The nice vampire from earlier, Mr Northman, was carrying Anamaria in his arms, her clothes stained with dried blood.

"Dear God, what happened?"

"Anamaria is fine, Ms Stackhouse." He assured her calmly. "Might I come inside and set her down?"

She stammered out an invitation, stepping aside to let the talk man enter. "If you would, put her in her room please. It's upstairs, on the right." She led him up the staircase, opening the door to Anamaria's bedroom.

Once inside, Eric took a moment to quickly glance around the room, his eyes moving at vampire speed over the furniture and décor. It was brightly decorated, with paintings and sketches covering almost every inch of wall space. Under all the artwork, he could see that every wall in the room was painted a different colour: one light blue, a yellow, an orange, and a lavender. It was almost an assault on his enhanced vision, yet somehow it quite suited Anamaria - appearing chaotic at first glance, but actually methodically organised. Just like her rainbow coloured hair that could seem wild and messy from a distance, but when you looked closely, every different coloured lock was carefully maintained and styled. Simply standing in her room gave Eric a huge insight into the small waitress sleeping in his arms, an insight that he would put to good use, like how to get her on her back.

"Just put her on the bed please, Mr Northman." Adele asked. Complying quickly to appease any possible suspicions the old woman might have about his train of thought, Eric lay Anamaria carefully on the bed, pushing down all the unsavoury ideas running through his head. "What happened to her?" Adele questioned, draping a knitted throw over the young girl's shoulders, and then gently removing her work shoes.

"She was attacked by two humans. I believe they were called the Rattrays."

"Oh those filth!" Adele snarled viciously, then blanched. "They _were_ called?"

"The humans have been dealt with." He answered simply, ushering Adele out of Anamaria's bedroom, closing the door behind them. "They will not bother anyone else again."

"Oh my stars..." Adele crossed herself as she gave a brief prayer for the souls of the white trash who had frequently delighted in tormenting her adoptive second grandchild.

"About Anamaria-"

"What now? Will she be alright?"

"She will be fine. I had to give her some of my blood to heal her wounds, otherwise she would have died. But she is completely healed now. She will be fine, I assure you."

Adele was flabbergasted. Ever since the vampires had announced their existence, they had admitted that while their blood has healing properties, they view their blood as sacred, not a thing to be taken for granted. The knowledge that a vampire such as Eric Northman had deemed Anamaria worthy of his blood made Adele feel surprisingly humble, and very grateful. "Thank you, Mr Northman." She gushed.

"There will be some side effects." He confessed plainly. "Nothing to worry you, but there may be noticeable changes in her mood and behaviour." He left it at that, not desiring a conversation with this old woman about how her almost-grandchild would start to have sex dreams about him. "With that, I must bid you goodnight."

!"!

"What have you done to my granddaughter?" Adele hissed in a low voice as she ripped the front door open.

Eric stood on the doorstep, his beautiful face hiding his annoyance at the elderly woman. "Good evening, Ms Stackhouse."

"Enough of your pleasantries, Mr Northman! What have you done to Anamaria?"

"What do you mean?"

"She's been uncontrollable all day, bouncing around like a hyperactive Jack-in-the-box! It's taken all day for her to calm down!" She pointed to the living room, clearly ordering the vampire inside. Amused by the old lady's gumption, Eric obeyed and stepped inside, having to duck his head underneath the doorframe.

Heading to the living room, Eric watched Anamaria for a few seconds before greeting her. She didn't seem overly energetic, sitting on a wooden barstool in front of an easel, although when he looked downwards, both her feet were tapping out a fast-paced rhythm on the hardwood floor. Her right hand danced a paintbrush over the mounted canvas at such a speed; it betrayed her seemingly calm posture.

"Good evening, Miss Santiago."

She jumped nervously, her left hand nearly dropping the artist's palette. She almost threw down the palette and brush, spinning around in a blur. "Eric." She brushed down the rolled up sleeves of the paint-splodged white man's shirt she wore. She must be very jittery, to have smeared paint all over her forearms, though the vampire didn't get a close enough look as her hands worked to pull down the sleeves.

"How are you feeling? Your…Grandmother," He hesitated, knowing that the two women weren't biologically related, yet Adele had referred to the Latina as her 'granddaughter', "Told me that you have been quite 'busy' today."

"What I'm fine I feel amazing better than I have in a while thank you so much for last night." She said so quickly that Adele tisked at her and ordered her not to be so silly.

Eric butted in delicately. "It's not a problem, Ms Stackhouse, it is actually quite normal. Given my age, my blood is very powerful, and Anamaria drank a lot of it last night; I would actually have been more surprised if she were _not_ showing any side effects."

"Will it wear off I feel like I've had a hundred cups of coffee all day I can barely stand still!" Anamaria spoke in a blur again.

"Not to worry, your body will settle and return to normal very soon. Your body is merely unused to such a strong substance; it is akin to giving an infant a twelve-pack of cola." Eric gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile to Adele, who had been worriedly watching a twitching Anamaria.

"Well thank the Lord for that." The older woman remarked dryly. "What can we do for you, Mr Northman?"

"I've come to ask Anamaria for her assistance. That favour I asked of her? It must be done tonight. Time is of the essence."


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 4**

It only took Anamaria a few minutes to get ready, her blood induced frenzy sending her running around upstairs, her footsteps sounding through the house. Adele had tried to apologise for her granddaughter's behaviour, but Eric assured her that he actually found it quite amusing, not used to a human having such a reaction from consuming vampire blood. Maybe she wasn't human...

"Anamaria, are you nearly ready, or have you choked yourself on a toothbrush?" She called up the stairs.

Running footsteps pounded along the upstairs landing and Anamaria bounded down the stairs. "Ready!"

Adele looked concerned. "You will look after her, won't you Mr Northman?"

"I shall do my utmost." He said firmly, opening the front door for the young woman, escorting her out to his expensive and shiny car. Anamaria giggled to herself when she thought of this undeniably cost car having to drive over the hole-filled driveway leading from the road to the house. Eric opened the passenger door for her. "In." He ordered. "And sit quietly."

"Oh, Mr Grumpy!" She laughed at him.

He sighed harshly, his annoyance given away by the human gesture. "No more blood for you," He muttered as he slammed the door closed when she was sat down.

The drive to Fangtasia was tense. Anamaria could barely sit still, either bouncing her feet or drumming her hands on her knees loud enough for Eric to slap her hands with a firm 'stop' snarled at her. He allowed her to have the radio on and to hum along with the songs, but that did little to calm her.

When they finally pulled into the bar's parking lot, Eric opened the car door for Anamaria, slamming her against the car when she climbed out.

"Anamaria, you need to be calm for this meeting."

"I'm sorry I can't help it I still feel like-"

"Quiet." He ordered gently, leaning in and bringing his face to within an inch of hers.

"What are you-?"

He hushed her, cupping the back of her neck, resting his forehead on hers. "Close your eyes and breathe, Anamaria." He waited for her to obey, and then spoke in a whisper, filling her stomach with butterflies. "You have my blood in you, but control it. Feel its influence over you weakening with every breath." He led her through a slow and deep breathing rhythm, his cool forehead against her flushed temple, his long thumbs stroking her cheekbones. When her jitters had stopped and her heartbeat slowed down, he pulled back and opened his eyes. "How do you feel now?"

"Much better. Thank you." She said quietly, looking into his blue eyes. She longed to lean in closer to him, but her telepathy started to pick up a void getting closer to them; a vampire was approaching.

Eric growled lowly, Anamaria's hearing only just able to pick it up even though she was almost pressed against his body. "What are you doing here?"

A Southern drawl filled the air. "Good evening to you too, Eric." Bill Compton snapped sarcastically. Anamaria pulled her head back from Eric's, suddenly feeling very awkward to be seen so close to the blonde vampire. When she looked round, Compton didn't look too happy at the lack of distance between her and Eric. "Good evening, Ana."

"Good evening, Bill."

"I trust you are well, after last night?"

"Yes, thank you."

Eric snapped his head round to glare at Bill. "What are you doing here, Compton?"

"I'm here to visit _Fangtasia_ , of course."

Eric scoffed; even Anamaria didn't believe him. "I doubt that. But no matter – the bar is closed tonight. Sheriff business." He put a hand on Anamaria's hip and turned to lead her inside the silent nightclub.

"With Ana?"

"What I do with Anamaria is of no concern to you, Compton."

"I somehow doubt that Adele Stackhouse would approve of you being alone in an empty nightclub with her grand-daughter."

That comment made Anamaria stop. "He does have a point, Eric."

"We won't be alone; Pam, Long Shadow, and the human staff are inside waiting."

"Perhaps I should accompany you inside then. I will act as chaperone for this…Whatever it is you have planned." He gave a challenging smirk to Eric.

The Viking's fangs slid out and he snarled at Bill. "Chaperone?" He laughed coldly. "Bill, if I wanted to fuck Anamaria in the middle of the dance floor and then drink her dry, there wouldn't be a thing you could do to stop me."

That comment made Anamaria freeze and her heart stopped for a second. After he had saved her life, Anamaria seemed to have forgotten that Eric wasn't an ordinary man, or even an ordinary vampire; he was the Sheriff of Area Five, over 1000 years old. She hadn't seen him as much of a threat to her since meeting him, but that was only because he hadn't acted threateningly towards her. But that comment had made her rethink every interaction she'd had with him – this was Eric Northman; he was not kind to humans unless he wanted something from them. Now she knew what he wanted; her blood and her sex. And it would be a very _very_ long time before she'd even let him close enough to get it.

!"!

Eric circled the room slowly, his face clearly showing his discontent with the situation. Anamaria had stormed into the club after shouting at him and Bill to 'stop their pissing contest', and then taken a seat at the bar, her arms folded tightly over her chest. She hadn't even glanced at Pam and Long Shadow inside, ignoring them as Eric and Bill entered the bar after her.

"What is it you wanted, Northman?" She snapped.

The Viking didn't miss her use of his last name. "Pam, Long Shadow and I are partners in this club, and we recently noticed that $60,000 has gone missing from our books." He walked to a table in the middle of the room and rested his hand on a trembling man's shoulder. Anamaria blinked, she hadn't even noticed the man in her anger. "And Bruce here is our accountant. We'd like you to listen to him."

"He's not saying anything." She sassed him.

"Don't be coy." Eric sassed back, Pam chuckling next to Anamaria. "We know what you can do."

"And I know what you can do too – why don't you just Glamour him to tell you if he did it or not?"

"Now don't you think we would have tried that before summoning you?" Eric snapped. That sentence hurt Anamaria's feelings; 'summoning' her, not 'asking' her to come, like she was a dog that was trained to come when called. "So it would a great favour," His teeth gritted on that word, "To me if you would help us."

She stood up, walking over to the table as she stared down Eric. "Say I found out who did it…Then what?"

Long Shadow spoke from his position behind the bar. "We'll hand them over to the authorities and let them deal with the culprit."

A sceptical laugh burst forth from Anamaria's chest. "Hundreds of years old and you're still a shitty liar!" She turned back to look at Eric. "I'll make you a deal – if you promise to turn over whoever's responsible to the police, I'll agree to help you anytime you want."

Eric gave her an arrogant smirk, one side of his mouth curling up. "Alright then, you've got yourself a deal."

Anamaria couldn't help but feel like she had just done exactly what Eric had wanted her to do. Pushing that feeling down, she pulled out a chair opposite the shaking man sat at the table and reached across the tabletop, placing her hand over his. Immediately his thoughts rushed into her head as she lowered her shields.

' _Fuck, what's this crazy bitch doing? God! I knew I shouldn't have gotten involved with vampires, I knew it was a bad idea! Christ, I'd have to be an idiot to steal from them! I was the one who reported it!'_

"Eric, back off, you're making him nervous. Bruce, it's okay, just take a deep breath." She waited a beat for him to calm down. "Did you take their money?"

"No, no, I promise! It wasn't me!"

She shushed him gently, not wanting him to ramble on. "Do you know who did?"

"No." He hung his head. _'No, I wish. God, I would turn them in so fast! Who could it've been? Not Ginger, she's too fucking stupid, though hot as shit, I wouldn't say no-'_

She took her hand off his, not wanting to follow his train of thought any longer. "He didn't do it."

Long Shadow scoffed. "You trust the skinny human to clear the fat one?"

Anamaria hummed sarcastically. "Skinny's a compliment, I suppose." She looked at Eric for his judgement. He seemed satisfied.

"Bring in the next human."

At Eric's dismissal, Bruce broke down and began sobbing into his hand. Anamaria reached out to him again, rubbing and patting his free hand soothingly. "Bruce?" She spoke gently. When he looked up and met her eyes, she spoke again. "Long vacation, then new job. Yeah?" She squeezed his hand reassuringly when he nodded, wishing him luck for the future.

!"!

It only took about half an hour to conduct the interviews, everyone's thoughts been coherent and clear enough for Anamaria to quickly determine that everyone was telling the truth. There were a few waitresses who needed to be brought back to the task at hand whenever they thought of Eric or even Pam – Anamaria now knew a little too much about said vampires; for example, Pam was a lesbian with dominatrix tendencies, and Eric had had his share of the female and male staff, normally in the basement underneath the club – but thus far everything had gone smoothly.

Pam came back in escorting a blonde waitress dressed only in a mini-skirt and sparkly strapless bra who looked far too skinny to be healthy. "This is the last of our humans."

"Oh good, I have to pee." Anamaria commented sardonically.

"Ginger," Eric started, "This lovely lady has some questions for you. Be a good girl and answer them."

"Aye aye, Master!" She giggled. Already Anamaria could tell that this woman had either done too many drugs in her time or had been Glamoured too often. Her money was on the latter. Anamaria reached forward to take hold of Ginger's hand, but the woman snapped her hand back. "Don't you touch me!"

The Latina just raised an eyebrow to Eric in a clear 'do something' message. The Viking spoke to Pam, "Hold her still." Pam moved behind Ginger, pushing the waitress forward and forcing her to rest her forearms on the table.

Anamaria placed her hand on the blonde's, looking into her eyes. "Ginger, someone's been stealing money from the bar."

"Really? Huh…" Then her thoughts came. _'Don't look at me, you fucking bitch, I didn't do it! I didn't take anything, it wasn't me!'_

Anamaria looked at Eric. "She didn't do it." Then she looked back to the waitress. "But she knows who did, don't you Ginger."

"What? Fuck you!" _'Shit, how did she know? I didn't tell anyone! Fuck, he'll kill me!'_

"Who? Who is it, Ginger? Come on, _querida_ , what's his name?" But Ginger's mind went blank, only projecting static to the telepath. "It's blank. Her mind's blank, like her memory's gone."

"I don't know anything, I swear!" The blonde panicked, her eyes full of fear.

Pam spoke with a serious voice, "She's been Glamoured."

"It's a vampire." Anamaria concluded.

And then Long Shadow lunged for her.

!"!

But he never got there. Anamaria screamed in fright, falling back against the table as she expected the murderous vampire to attack her. There was a blur of movement in front of her, and then snarling and growling. Opening her eyes that had closed on reflex, Anamaria was amazed to see Eric physically restraining a struggling and snarling Long Shadow. The Native-American vampire was fighting with all his strength, but Eric's body barely moved with the other man's struggles.

Ginger was screaming a few feet away, her hysterical cries annoying everyone in the room. Pam eventually shouted at her, "Ginger, enough!" The ditsy barmaid immediately quietened down, only giving off whimpers.

"Thank you." Eric spoke. "Pam, prepare the basement and-"

What happened next shocked everyone. Bill sprang into action, snapping off one of the wooden handles behind the bar, vamping over to Eric and Long Shadow, and driving the improvised stake through the restrained man's heart. The effect was instantaneous; Long Shadow exploded in a gruesome display of blood and internal organs, all over Anamaria. The Latina shrieked from disgust, her arms flailing a little as she tried to wipe herself down, but nothing worked; she was dripping with the vampire's liquefied remains.

The tension was broken with loud vomiting coming from Ginger, who then recommenced her screaming. Eric, who was now covered in blood as well, just glared at the woman. "Humans." He groaned in disgust.

"What the fuck do we do now?" Pam barked, gesturing to the pile of blood and guts at Eric's feet.

"What else? Ginger, dear, clean this up." He said nonchalantly as he pulled his black t-shirt over his head, wiping his spattered arms and neck.

The blonde woman just whimpered again. "What?"

"Clean it up. Now." He ordered, and the woman immediately set to work, crying and gagging as she did.

Anamaria just sat on top of the table, unsure of what to do, or even fully understanding what had just happened. One moment she was expecting to be attacked and killed by a thieving vampire, then the next she had been sprayed with unimaginable material that she could feel dripping down her face and arms. "Okay, so I'm just going to go wash up." She mumbled numbly, sliding off the table and stumbling over to the bathrooms.

She didn't know how long she'd been in there, just humming to herself on a loop in an effort to keep herself calm and focused on the task at hand. Fortunately for her, the faucets were quite high above the sink basins in the bathrooms, giving her some room to dip her head under the water flow in a crude effort of rinsing her hair. Keeping her eyes closed so that she wouldn't have to see all the blood and tissue she was washing down the drain, Anamaria kept her mind occupied elsewhere – it was a technique she had used many times before in past situations.

When her hair felt clean, she started scrubbing her face and neck as best she could, knowing but not caring that she was smearing her make-up all over her skin. Straightening up and wringing her hair out, she risked opening her eyes. It wasn't that bad…Maybe…Using paper towels, she dabbed away her ruined mascara and eyeliner, and then began sorting out her top and jeans. She dabbed away as much as she could, but the clothing was a lost cause.

The main door to the bathroom opened and Pam stepped in. She held out a small scrap of black latex to her. "Put this on." She said in a no-nonsense way.

Anamaria eyed the 'clothing' with a suspicious eye. Very short, very revealing, her arms and legs would be bare. "Uh, thanks. But I think I'll just dry my hair and then go."

Pam smirked. "You're not going anywhere yet; Compton and our boy aren't nearly done talking yet."

"Will Bill get in trouble over this?" She felt horrible for thinking it, but she didn't really care if Bill got into trouble over his actions – Eric had restrained Long Shadow, there had been no need for the thief to die. Bill had other reasons for staking Long Shadow.

"You don't need to worry about that. What you need to do is change out of your clothes."

"I'm not wearing that, Pam." She said firmly.

The vampiress smirked again. "There's vampire in your cleavage."

"What?" Anamaria looked down and saw what Pam was talking about. "Ew!"

"Allow me." Pam stepped forward and delicately removed the piece of… _Whatever it was_ from between Anamaria's breasts. She regarded her closely, staring into the Latina's face. "I'm beginning to understand the fuss everyone's making over you."

"Um…Thank you?" She said awkwardly, feeling a little too closed in by the other woman.

Pam chuckled lowly. "Don't worry, honey, I'm not going to get in Eric's way; you're his now."


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 5**

Anamaria avoided all contact with Eric and Bill for nearly a week, needing some time away from the vampire world. After Eric had driven her home from _Fangtasia_ , still wearing her blood stained jeans and top, Adele went crazy. _'Every time my granddaughter is near you, she ends up covered in blood!'_ She had even slapped the vampire, who had remained stoic during her tirade. Adele had told him not to come near Anamaria again, but Eric had just bade them both a good night and then left. The two of them didn't say it to each other, but they both knew they hadn't heard the last of Eric Northman.

So when he, Pam, Bill and another vampire sauntered into Merlotte's one evening, Anamaria was only mildly surprised. She had a full tray of drinks resting on her shoulder when she had been walking past the entrance as they came in. Seeing Eric's tall figure enter the bar had made the entire restaurant fall silent.

"This place is even more depressing than I'd thought." He mused to Pam, who chuckled.

Anamaria blindly set the drinks down on the nearest table and then stormed over to the vampires. "What are you doing here?" She snapped. She'd been hoping for a little more time away him; Pam's comment about her being Eric's had set her on edge and given her restless nights and messed up dreams.

"If that's this place's idea of hospitality, I have to say it's rather lacking." He teased, leaning his head closer to hers.

"What do you want, Mr Northman?" She asked slowly and clearly, using his surname in another effort to distance herself from him.

A minute frown marred his face at her coolness toward him. He straightened up. "Mr Compton has business here."

"Okay, but why are _you three_ here?"

"Just checking out the competition, sweetie." Pam said with faux innocence.

"Pam, don't play the sweet and innocent vampire, it doesn't suit you."

The blonde vampire clasped a hand on her chest. "Oh, sweetie-pie, I'm hurt!"

The Latina was about to snap back at Pam, but Bill interrupted before it could get out of hand. "Ana, where is Sam Merlotte?"

"In his office, why?"

"I require a minute of his time, and then I would like to speak to you if that's possible."

Eric's eyes flashed with anger, hidden by the curtain of hair formed around his head as he bent his head a little to look closely at Anamaria. Even though she was angry with Eric over the disrespectful way he had spoken to Bill about her – while she was standing right beside him! – she didn't have it in her to be spiteful about it. "We're all quite busy tonight, Bill; it _is_ a Saturday night, you know."

"It would only take a moment." He assured her, looking deeply into her eyes. A second later, her head started to ache and she had to blink away from the pain. Was he trying to Glamour her?

"Sam's office is down the hall, but I don't have time tonight!" She huffed, waving her hand down the corridor that led to her boss' office. Bill passed by, the unknown vampire on his heels. "I have to get back to work; can I trust you two to behave yourselves for five minutes?" She glared at Eric and Pam, who wasn't bothering to hide her smirk at the exchange between Anamaria and Bill.

"Don't we always?" Eric pouted innocently.

Anamaria groaned quietly to herself, annoyed at both Eric's coy behaviour and herself for feeling its effect in a rather unwanted way, especially while she was working. She picked up the tray of drinks and took it to the right table, ignoring how the customers were all still staring at Eric and Pam as the two vampires began talking about their wonderfully exotic and diverse nightclub _Fangtasia_. They even had the nerve to hand out flyers that allowed the holder to skip the wait outside – fire safety regulations permitting – and $30 off a round of drinks at the club.

"…So simply present this flyer when you arrive at Fangtasia; the first round's on us." Eric finished his spiel as he handed out some flyers to a group of teenage girls, all of whom were eyeing up the tall vampire with undeniable lust in their eyes.

"Also, Thursday nights are Ladies' night, so feel free to bring a date. That is if you can get one." Pam teased a redneck sat with his boneheaded friends, who all guffawed at their friend's embarrassment. Anamaria rolled her eyes as she poured a pint of beer for one of Arlene's tables.

"She got you!" One of them jeered.

Just as Pam was about to hand the third man his flyer, Eric snapped his fingers from across the bar. "Not him. He doesn't get one."

Pam immediately held back the flyer, which angered the man. "What gives, bro!"

A few people screamed in fright as Eric vamped across the bar and leant over the redneck, grabbing his bandaged wrist viciously. "What did you do to your arm there, bro?" He hissed dangerously.

As the man stammered nervously and tried to pull his arm back, Anamaria stormed over to the two men. "Eric," She hissed quietly, "Back off. Don't make me pull your hair." She threatened with just a hint of humour, hoping it would defuse the tension that now settled over the whole restaurant.

Eric straightened up, releasing the frightened man's arm. He turned to Anamaria, leaning into her face. "You can pull my hair, if I can pull yours." He promised in a loud whisper, making everyone in the restaurant react so strongly that Anamaria flinched from the assault of everyone's thoughts. A brief look of concern flashed across Eric's face and he cupped the back of Anamaria's neck, his mental void blocking out everyone else. Bill's appearance back in the main area broke their lingering eye contact. Eric glanced toward the Southerner, but kept his hand on Anamaria. "I trust your business is done; we have a tribunal to get to."

"What?" Anamaria's eyes widened in shock. A tribunal? What was going on?

"Come." He ordered firmly but with a softer tone, leading her towards the bar's main door. "Oh, before we go, a word of advice." The whole restaurant kept staring at Eric as his face and voice became serious and deadly. "We know when a human has wronged a vampire, we can smell it. So don't let the pretty blonde vampire lady on TV make you feel too comfortable. We may not have retaliated…Yet. But we know who you are." With a final long glare at the table of rednecks, Eric led Anamaria out of the bar and into the fresh air, away from the accusing thoughts of the bar's customers and staff.

"Eric, what's going on?"

"Did you think Bill's actions over Long Shadow would go unpunished?" He seemed amused at her assumed innocence.

She glared at him and batted his hand off her neck. "What tribunal? What's going on?"

"To kill one of our own kind is a serious crime. Bill is to go before the Magister this evening and stand trial for his crime."

"My only crime was trying to protect Ana!" Bill cried indignantly. "Long Shadow could have broken free at any moment and killed her!"

Shielded from Bill's view by Eric's tall form, Anamaria looked at the Viking with suspicious eyes; suspicious of Bill. Eric chuckled at her reaction, winking at her; he was confirming her train of thought. Now sure that Bill had only killed Long Shadow in an attempt to seem like a hero to Anamaria, the Latina was now even wearier of him. "Thank you, Bill; it was very brave of you. I'm sorry that you're in trouble because of me."

"It's no trouble, Ana, I just did what any gentleman would have done." If he was trying to sound humble, he wasn't fooling anyone.

"Will you be gone long?" She may have been speaking to Bill, but her eyes were locked with Eric's.

"Not too long, I should think."

"Well take care." She stepped back from Eric, giving Bill a fake smile. He didn't seem to notice that it was fake.

Pam and the other vampire started to escort Bill away, leaving Eric looking carefully at Anamaria. He seemed pensive, and then asked randomly, "Why do the other waitresses wear shorts and t-shirts while you wear jeans and a long-sleeved top?"

The randomness and nature of the question made Anamaria tense up. Eric was getting too close. She crossed her arms. "You too, Eric, take care of yourself."

The vampire just chuckled, obviously sensing that she wasn't going to answer his question. "Try not to miss me too much. And try not to get yourself killed while I'm gone." He started walking away from her, ready to vamp off after Pam and the others.

"I've got a guardian angel, I'll be fine."

Her serious tone made Eric stop and turn around, but she had already headed back inside. Another mystery of Anamaria Santiago to figure out.

!"!

A few days passed with no word from Eric, and Anamaria was getting worried. Although she didn't know much about the vampire justice system, a tribunal sounded very serious, as did this 'Magister' person Eric had spoken of. Would Eric somehow be held responsible for Bill's actions? The Southerner did commit the crime in Eric's bar, after all. Would this Magister punish Eric too?

Anamaria decided to run a bath to soothe her nerves and relax her muscles after a full day of dance classes and rehearsals. Her college class had a showcase coming up in a few weeks and Anamaria had been given a few routines for the evening. As Adele was out for her book club at a friend's house, Anamaria plugged her iPod into the docking station in the bathroom and turned her music on. She turned on the taps, adjusting them to her perfect temperature, and then headed back into her bedroom to collect her bathrobe. Just as Anamaria was heading back towards the bathroom, her music suddenly stopped. Had her iPod ran out of charge? As her hand touched the wood of the bathroom door – that she swore she hadn't pulled closed – music started up in the bathroom again. The trouble was, it wasn't her playlist.

Stepping into the room again, she stopped dead in her tracks. "Uh…What…"

Without a care in the world, Eric fucking Northman lounged back in the tub, his feet resting on the rim of the tub, naked as the day he was born. The cheeky son-of-a-bitch had even lit a dozen candles and dimmed the lights in the room. In this serene setting, Anamaria could see the lighter side of Eric; the candles, the low lighting and the gentle music made Eric look quite peaceful.

"Good evening, Anamaria." He spoke softly, his gently accented voice echoing in the tiled room.

"Uh, yeah, evening." She mumbled, not able to stop herself from staring at his beautiful body. His arms were long and muscled, his torso was slim and toned, and his legs were so long that his ankles rested on the edge of the tub.

"See anything you like?" He chuckled, his eyes still closed.

Shaking her head to snap herself out of whatever trance he'd put her in, she closed the door behind her. "You got your hair cut." She wanted to face-palm herself. She hadn't seen him in over a week and that was her opening line? Well done…

He chuckled. "You like?"

"Yeah, it's much better than before, if I'm honest."

"Really?"

"Yeah. This says 'well-groomed businessman' and not 'angst-filled teenager with girl problems'." He turned his head and looked at her, an unreadable expression on his face. She couldn't tell whether he liked her joke or not, so she quickly moved on. "You're very lucky that Adele has book club tonight, otherwise she'd have your balls."

"Ah, yes, the immovable object of Adele Stackhouse."

"Hey!" Anamaria said firmly, catching Eric's attention. "Don't speak against Adele; she's the kindest soul I've ever known, and she looks after me. Not many others have ever done that. I owe her my life. Literally."

Eric stared into Anamaria's eyes for a long time, trying to figure this girl out. "Hmmm…You _are_ a mysterious girl." He looked her up and down. "I notice you're in jeans and long sleeves again."

She blinked. "Yeah, so?"

"This is Louisiana, it's May and we're currently going through a heatwave."

"Your point?" She snapped, cursing herself for getting defensive.

"My point is that it is surely too hot for jeans and sleeves."

Moving to Eric's iPod, she asked, "What on earth are you listening to?" She picked it up and flicked through the playlist.

He closed his eyes and leant his head back against the rim of the tub. "It's from my younger days. It's really quite beautiful if you know Old Swedish."

"' _Sancto Erico'_?" She read the song title. "Someone called Eric?"

He gave a relaxed nod, then waited a beat. "You know you're going to answer my questions sooner or later."

"What questions?" She asked with faux innocence, sitting on the side of the tub, making sure to look at his face – she didn't need him to know that she was tempted to sneak a peek.

"Your choice of clothing for starters."

Anamaria laughed. "If that's the best question you've got-"

"Oh don't worry, little one, I've got many a question for you."

"Little one?" She snapped with a glare. "Who you calling 'little'?" She flicked water at him, making him open his eyes and look hard at her.

"I tower over you in stature, and I'm over 1,000 years older than you – to me, you are little. Don't get defensive." He leant his head back but kept his eyes open and locked with hers. "Instead of just sitting there, you could make yourself useful if you wish." He gave her a wink and coy smile.

She glared at him again, but continued. "I'm not going to answer your questions, Eric, so forget it."

"You're testy about certain things, aren't you? Very well then, but don't think I'm going to leave it alone – you clearly have something to hide." Eric leered at her hips and thighs, earning another splash from Anamaria.

"Hey, I'm up here!" She bristled and crossed her arms. "So you think that because I prefer not to put my body on display that I have some sort of secret? That's reaching a little, Eric."

"Then what is your explanation?"

"I don't owe-"

"And while we're on the subject of secrets, explain your comment about your 'guardian angel'."

' _No.'_ Anamaria gasped lightly, her heart filling with joy as it did every time her Angel spoke to her. _'Tell him nothing.'_ His accented voice was firm, giving her no choice but to obey. Not that obeying her Angel was hard for her; she would follow him to Hell if he asked.

"No, I'm not talking about that."

Eric hummed. "So it wasn't just a flippant comment – you truly believe you have a guardian angel."

Caught off guard, she began to stammer. "I…Uh…"

' _Anamaria, stay calm.'_ Her Angel soothed. _'Tell him nothing. Not yet.'_

"I'm not going to tell you anything, not yet."

Eric looked amused. "Not yet?"

' _Change the subject. He will know soon enough.'_

"I'll tell you when I'm ready." She snipped, walking to the mirror and starting to brush her pastel hair. She did a double take. "How the…? I thought vampires couldn't be seen in a mirror?"

Eric laughed again. "Our kind invented most of the myths and legends about us. If people thought we couldn't be seen in a mirror, we had a way to prove that we weren't vampires."

"Ahh, clever." Anamaria smiled as she turned around to look at him. "Well, what about holy water?"

He splashed her playfully. "It's just water."

"Crucifixes?"

"Geometry."

"What about garlic?" She took a step closer to him, interested by this conversation. She always made sure to watch Nan Flanagan whenever she was on TV, but she doubted that the blonde vampire told the full truth about vampires – their weakness to silver and the healing properties of blood have never once been mentioned in a single interview.

Eric answered, "An irritation, but that's it."

Silence fell in the bathroom, giving Anamaria a brief chance to watch Eric. He did seem truly relaxed, perfectly comfortable to be naked in the bath while she examined him closely. "Why did you come here tonight, Eric?"

"I need another favour." He opened his eyes and looked into hers. "Have you ever been to Dallas?"


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 6**

"You should have told me Northman hired a fucking human."

"Hey!" Anamaria cried out indignantly.

"Respect her!" Eric commanded with a growl.

The Latina looked at Eric and gave him a tired and grateful smile. "Thank you, Eric." The past four and a half hours had been chaotic and the human was starting to flag.

After Eric had asked her for this favour – to accompany him to Dallas to look for a missing vampire – she hadn't paused for a moment. She had agreed to go with him, immediately making the vampire spring out of the bathtub, as though he had been waiting for her to agree so that he could get out of the hot bubbly water. He had asked her to pack a bag then and there while he confirmed the travel arrangements; with a smirk, he had told her that he had already booked two tickets and two hotel rooms for them. Although his presumptuousness angered her, the almost pleading look on his face when he told her it was a matter of life and death had sent her straight for the small suitcase she used to carry her outfits whenever she had a performance. Just as she had been zipping the case closed, the front door had opened downstairs and Adele's voice rang through the house.

Eric had glanced at her in annoyance, then offered to carry her out her bedroom window and fly off into the night. Hitting his arm and snapping that she would never just abandon Adele without at least telling her where she was going, Anamaria headed downstairs, her packed suitcase in hand.

"Absolutely not!" Adele had cried when Anamaria and Eric had explained the situation. "Do you seriously think I'm going to let you kidnap my only granddaughter and take her to Texas!"

"It's not kidnapping if she comes voluntarily." Eric pointed out testily.

Before the Stackhouse matriarch could slap Eric again, Anamaria put herself between the two equally stubborn people. " _Abuelita_ , I've already given Eric my word. And besides, I want to do this. You've always been encouraging me to see more of the world, this is my chance." She took hold of Adele's hand and put on her best pair of puppy-dog eyes. "Please, _abuelita_."

The older woman had relented when she'd seen the younger woman's begging expression, but told her, in no uncertain terms, that she expected a phone call every morning and night to make sure she was okay. With that promise, a hug, kiss and 'I love you', Anamaria and Eric had taken the next flight to Dallas.

From the airport, they went to their hotel, the Carmilla, and booked into their rooms. Anamaria was very happy to discover that, true to his word, Eric had indeed booked two rooms. She was less pleased when she noticed the door that connected the two suites. As his punishment, Eric had been forced to wait for Anamaria to take a shower, redress, and fix her hair and makeup. He also had to make sure that there was not one but two extra-large lattes with chocolate syrup waiting for her as they headed back out the hotel and off to the 'nest' of the missing vampire, who was apparently the Sheriff of the Area.

So there they were, Anamaria almost falling asleep on the pristine white sofa – as it was now past three in the morning – with Eric pacing behind her as the Sheriff's – Godric was his name – Second and Third in command bickered in front of them.

"How could I tell you, Stan? You've been off on your own for days!" Cried Isabel, a Hispanic beauty with flawless café-au-lait skin, dressed all in white.

"Are you certain that Godric was abducted by the Fellowship of the Sun?" Eric asked, still pacing.

"No", "Yes" Isabel and Stan spoke at the same time. Anamaria rolled her eyes and took a long sip of her second latte – she had finished the first one in the car on their way to the house, although 'mansion' would probably describe the building better.

"They're the only ones with the organisation and manpower."

"But they're amateurs." Isabel insisted. "It doesn't make any sense. This is Godric we're talking about, 2000 years old!"

Anamaria's eyes widened in shock. She glanced at Eric and mouthed, _'2000?'_ He gave a tense nod and continued to listen to the other two vampires argue.

"Old don't make you smart." Stan sneered.

"Besides, there's no proof."

Anamaria spoke up. "If they've got him, I'll hear it. That's why I'm here, right?" She looked to Eric, who nodded again.

"I'm sorry, girly," Stan started patronisingly, "How do you propose-"

Anamaria's lack of sleep made her testy. "Less of the 'girly', thank you, and I'm a telepath. If they even _think_ Godric's name, I'll hear it."

"So you're thinking of what? Going undercover and spying on those freaks?" The Texan vampire scoffed at her.

"That's exactly my plan." She deadpanned, finishing the last of her latte.

"There's no reason to wait. We need to take these guys out now – a full on attack! Exterminate them like the vermin they are."

"Oh good, a vampire-hating church annihilated, wonder who did it? Fucking brilliant!" Isabel snapped sarcastically.

" _¿Es siempre imbécil?_ " Anamaria drawled to Isabel.

The other woman looked briefly surprised at Anamaria but quickly recovered. " _Claro._ "

"Ladies, this is Texas, everybody speaks beaner." Stan barked, obviously not impressed with being called stupid by a human.

Obviously offended by Stan's racism, Isabel bristled. "I also doubt that the King of Texas would approve of the destruction of the AVL's political agenda."

Anamaria's head was starting to pound from the night's events. _'There's a fucking King now?'_ She rubbed the bridge of her nose with closed eyes as Stan ranted on about how the Great Revelation was the worst mistake vampires had ever made.

Eric suddenly throwing a vase against a wall, silencing the room, didn't improve her headache. "You're completely incompetent! What has happened to Godric that he surrounds himself with fools like you?"

Isabel rounded on him. "We invited you here as a courtesy. This is not your Area; you have no voice here."

"Yeah, Sheriff, why don't you mosey on back to Louisiana?" Stan taunted. "And take your puppet with you."

"I'm nobody's puppet!" Anamaria snapped, tempted to throw the cardboard coffee cup at him.

"And we're not going anywhere." Eric hissed. "We need a plan."

"I have a plan." Anamaria offered up but was silenced by Stan also declaring that he had his own ideas.

"Your idea isn't a plan, Stan, it's a movie!" Isabel sniped.

"It's not a movie; it's a war." He declared dramatically. "We take them all out at once; pre-emptive strike!"

"Oh yes, so the federal government can bomb us back into the Middle Ages!"

The cowboy chuckled. "Things were better back then."

"Then go to Romania and live in a cave, you _ranchero_ poser!"

Eric threw another vase at a wall. "Enough! Godric has protected you, made you rich, and you two just stand here, spitting and scratching like infants!"

Anamaria had had enough. Scrunching the coffee cup into a ball with her hands, she stood up and threw it across the room, gaining the vampires' attention. "If you guys argue any more, I'm either going to fall asleep or start screaming, so here's what we're going to do!" She shouted, shocking them into silence with her tone. "I'll infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun."

Stan scoffed. "Ridiculous."

"It's too dangerous." Isabel said gently.

Eric insisted, "Let her speak."

"No-one there knows who I am, so I'll go the Church, pretending I want to join, and I'll check out their thoughts."

"You think they'll believe you?" Stan snapped.

She deadpanned, "I'm a Performing Arts student; I can act my ass off."

"What about," He waved his hand at her coloured hair, "That?"

"Y'ever heard of wigs?" She snapped sarcastically.

He groaned. "Waste of time." He headed over to the front door, picking up his cowboy hat on the way. "We should just drain them all." With that, he left.

Isabel looked uncomfortable and wrung her hands a little. "There's no easier way to determine whether or not they actually have Godric."

Anamaria nodded her head. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow, I go to war."

!"!

When Eric and Anamaria got back to their hotel rooms, she immediately got out her suitcase and tipped it upside down on the bed, sending everything she had brought with her sprawled out over the covers.

"What are you doing?" Eric's voice behind her asked.

She held up a dress and examined it. "I'm going into battle; I need the right armour." She tossed the dress aside and picked up another one. Nope, too low-cut for a Church.

Eric stepped over to the bed, looking over the pile of clothes with scrutiny. He reached out. "You actually packed a wig?" He held up the brunette hairpiece.

"Well aren't you glad now that I did?" She snapped. "I hate to say it but Stan was right; I can't go into the Fellowship with this work of art, now can I?" She ran a hand through her pastel-coloured locks.

The two of them decided on her outfit together; a blue dress – long-sleeved, as per usual. Although she had suggested the white dress she had packed, Eric pointed out that white might look _too_ innocent for this task – white dolly shoes and a matching bag. When she also picked out thick tan pantyhose, Eric raised his eyebrow.

"Really? It's set to be eight-six degrees tomorrow afternoon."

"Don't question it, Eric. Now leave me alone, I need to sleep. Now, shoo."

!"!

Everything had been going so smoothly. Too smoothly. Isabel's human, Hugo, had offered to accompany Anamaria on her journey to the Church – if she had a male escort, it would look less suspicious than a young woman on her own would. Sarah Newlin, the wife of Reverend Steve Newlin who ran the Fellowship, had met them at the door and was sugary-sweet to the both of them as she led them to her husband's office. The man himself was quite slimy and smooth-talking, masking his blatant hatred of vampires behind the guise of being 'a good Christian', but Anamaria had always seen through his smooth words during his TV interviews. Now that she was up-close and personal, and able to hear his hateful thoughts, she loathed the man even more. At one point, one of his thoughts was truly worrying. _'I hope that platform is coming along alright; it'll be the perfect stage for roasting such a despicable creature. 2000 years old indeed!'_ From then on, she knew without a doubt that the Fellowship had Godric and that they were planning to murder him on some platform. When, she didn't know; Steve hadn't thought anymore about it, but she got the impression that it was going to be soon.

A terrifying sight that had turned her stomach came as Steve and Sarah gave her and Hugo a tour of the grounds. Steve was talking about how big the grounds were and all the facilities they had, when an organised group led by a Fellowship member crossed paths with them.

"Ah, our new recruits! Good afternoon everyone, may His light shine upon you!" Steve called cheerfully, waving at them.

Anamaria looked over the group absently, but then did a double take. In the middle of the line of recruits was none other than Jason Stackhouse himself. He was looking around nervously, and then paused for a second as he stared at her. Making sure to keep up with the other recruits, he walked on while they stared at each other. _What the fuck?!_

"A friend of yours, Holly?" Steve asked.

"No." She answered smoothly. "I think it's just the sun, it's very hot today."

"Well, sweetie, you've got super thick pantyhose on." Sarah chuckled, pointing to Anamaria's legs.

Having come prepared with a reason why she was wearing them, Anamaria answered smoothly. "Yes, that's one of the reasons why I want to join your Church – a vampire attacked me a few years ago, just after their Great Revelation. He tore up my legs real bad, and I've had to wear pantyhose ever since." She added a sniffle and bit her lip as she looked away.

Sarah immediately put her arms around Anamaria, hushing her soothingly and rubbing her back. "Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry!"

"You'll always be beautiful to me, Holly." Hugo pulled her into his own arms, kissing the top of the brunette wig she was wearing.

"Do you want to continue the tour, Holly?" Steve asked gently, patting her shoulder. She nodded bravely and they headed back inside.

It was after one of Steve's aids arrived, Gabe, that things went to shit. Steve wanted to finish the tour by showing them his father's tomb, under the Church in the basement. When he had led them down a small corridor and then opened a door at the top of a steep staircase, alarm bells rang in Anamaria's head.

"You know what, I think I'm okay. I'll stay here with Sarah, you boys go ahead." She smiled nervously, her stomach starting to twist as Gabe slowly moved behind her and Hugo.

"You sure?" Steve asked, looked concerned.

"She's fine; she's just a little claustrophobic." Hugo explained jovially, patting her back.

"Well at least just take a quick look. That way you can say that you've seen the whole Church."

"Steve…" Sarah began warningly, sounding desperate. _She knew something was wrong._

Anamaria nervously cleared her throat. "Tell you what, we already know that we want to get married here," That had been their cover story, "So how about we head on home and we can call to set a date?"

"No."

It happened too quickly for either Anamaria or Hugo to resist. A sharp pain to the back of her head threw Anamaria against the wall, and then hands grabbed her and began to pull. She struggled as much as she could, kicking out and throwing punches, but the hands holding her were strong and unrelenting.

"Sarah!" She cried out. "Sarah, help us!"

"I'm sorry!"

She took another blow, this time on her cheekbone, making her head spin. There was a metallic scraping sound and then she was thrown to the floor, grazing her knees as she rolled across the concrete. Then she blacked out.

!"!

"Morning!" A too-cheery voice brought Anamaria from her sleep, her face sore from the punch she received the night before. "How'd y'all sleep?" Anamaria sat up slowly and blinked to clear her vision. Steve Newlin and his muscleman Gabe entered the basement. "Refreshments?" He held up two large bottles of water and a plate of sandwiches.

"You think that'll make up for the fact that you have us prisoner down here?" Anamaria snapped, standing up to face them.

"I'm sorry about that, things got a little out of hand last night." Steve said apologetically as he passed the water and snacks through the small gap between the floor and the metal mesh enclosing Anamaria and Hugo. Her fellow captive picked up one of the water bottles and guzzled it down, looking panicked and flushed.

"Out of hand? You punched me in the back of the head and then in the face. If I have a concussion or anything, I'm gonna sue." Anamaria snapped, gently poking her face to assess the damage. Her cheekbone felt broken.

Steve just looked at her in pity. "Oh you poor thing. Those vampires have got you all screwed up, haven't they? With their Glamours, their fangs and their evil blood…"

"You're going to get yourself killed sooner or later. That's not a threat, that's just fact. You can only attack them for so long before they start to defend themselves, just like humans." She adjusted her cleavage a little; her dress had twisted itself around her. She failed to notice Gabe's predatory look at her skin.

Steve picked up a folding metal chair and sat down. "Look, I only want a little information from you. As soon as you answer a few questions, I'll be more than happy to feed you a hot meal and let you go home."

Anamaria scoffed but Hugo stood up. "What do you want to know?"

"Hugo, shut up."

"No! No-one came for us last night, so I'm going to get us out of here!" He turned to Steve. "Her name is Anamaria Santiago from Bon Temps, Louisiana, and I'm Hugo Aires."

"Shut up!"

"We were sent here by the vampires of Area nine to find their Sheriff-"

Anamaria kneed Hugo in the gut, sending him to his knees. But it was too late.

"Anamaria…From Bon Temps…" Steve muttered. "You know Jason Stackhouse, by any chance?"

Her stomach roiled as she looked into his eyes. "No, who's that?" She decided to play dumb. It didn't work.

"He's the other guy we've got in another basement; he's answering a few questions too."

Steve's smile made her want to be sick. He was torturing her brother! Sticking to her story, she shrugged as casually as she could, but her voice still cracked. "I still don't know who he is."

"You thought we were that stupid? He just happens to show up the same day you do, begging to join the Church? Then after the way you two stared at each other outside…It was pretty obvious you're working together." Steve stood up and put the chair away. "Y'all have a nice afternoon."

!"!

Hugo was the traitor. It turned out that he'd joined the Fellowship after starting to believe that because Isabel didn't want to Turn him into a vampire, it meant that she didn't care about him, that she only saw him as a blood bag or a 'feed and fuck'. He'd been eavesdropping on the meeting at Godric's home and had told Sarah and Steve who Anamaria was before they had gone to the Church – it explained their overly friendly attitude and easy acceptance of her and Hugo's cover story. Anamaria had seen the memories in Hugo's head just after Steve and Gabe had left them that morning, so they had spent the afternoon and evening in complete silence, neither of them looking at the other. Every so often, his claustrophobia acted up and he banged on the metal fence screaming to be let out, but no-one came. They couldn't even hear any signs of life from the Church above them.

She didn't know what time it was when the basement door opened and Gabe stalked in, slamming and locking the door behind him. He looked rough, like he'd just been in a fight. Without saying a word, he headed over to the cage and unlocked the door.

"Gabe, she knows everything. So-so you can let me out now…Right?" Hugo asked, becoming nervous when Gabe just glowered at him.

Then the attack came. Gabe started throwing punches at Hugo, beating him to the ground and then kicking him. "Let you out, huh? You think I'm gonna let you out? The only way you two fangbangers are getting outta here is in a box, you little piece of shit!"

' _Angel? What should I do?'_ She got no answer. Knowing that she couldn't allow this beating to continue, Anamaria launched herself at Gabe's back. "Stop it!" She began beating her fists down on him, but he just threw her off. She flew back against a nearby rack of shelves, probably bruising a rib or two, but when Gabe pushed her down onto the floor and climbed on top of her, her pain morphed into terror. "Let me go! Godric, help!" ' _Angel!'_

"What, your own kind not good enough for you?" He spat at her, wrapping one hand around her neck and squeezing as his other hand ripped open the buttoned front of her dress. Just as her vision started to blur, he released her neck and pushed her dress up over her hips. "You want a hot dick inside you, instead of a cold dead one?"

She screamed. She screamed so loud that her throat ached. She couldn't let this happen to her. " _Godric, please_!" She squealed as she was rolled over and pushed down onto her stomach, the back of her pantyhose ripped and pulled. She screamed again.

And then it stopped.

The crushing weight against her back was gone, and then someone was choking.

Rolling onto her back, she sat up quickly and froze.

A young man, a boy no older than eighteen, held Gabe off the ground by his throat. He was dressed all in white linen, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to reveal familiar tattoos wrapped around each of his biceps. He looked at her, his face and striking blue eyes a sight she knew well.

And all she could whisper was,

" _Angel?"_


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 7**

A young man, a boy no older than eighteen, held Gabe off the ground by his throat. He was dressed all in white linen, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to reveal familiar tattoos wrapped around each of his biceps. He looked at her, his face and blue eyes a sight she knew well.

And all she could whisper was,

" _Angel?"_

"Godric!" Gabe choked, his brutish hands clawing desperately at the young man's pale skin. "Please!"

But the boy didn't listen. With a disgusted look and twist of his wrist, Gabe's neck was broken, his lifeless body falling to the floor in a heap.

A moment passed between the two of them as she shakily stood up and buttoned her dress. The top two buttons had come off, leaving her somewhat exposed, but she didn't care in that moment. "You…You're Godric?" Anamaria stammered.

"You should not have come."

She couldn't stop the words coming out of her mouth. "Telling me off for something I've done: typical." She muttered to herself, adjusting her cleavage. Godric gave her a confused look, but screams coming from the Church above them drew their attention. "What's going on?"

"Eric." Godric closed his eyes and called out clearly, "I'm here, my Child, down here." A strange wave of energy flowed from him, making Anamaria's flesh tingle. Was he calling to Eric?

There was a humming noise, a door opened, and Eric was suddenly at the bottom of the stairs. He moved over to Godric in a hazy blur, standing in front of his Maker with a look of pure worship and reverence on his face. "Godric." He dropped to his knees, lowering his head submissively before the shorter but much older man. As Anamaria stood and watched the two of them, she felt oddly intrusive as Godric put two fingers under Eric's chin, lifting his head to look him in the eye. From her position, she could see another tattoo along the back of his neck peeking out above his shirt collar.

"You were a fool for sending humans after me." He chastised firmly.

"I had no other choice. These savages, they seek to destroy you."

"I'm aware of what they have planned." He motioned to the unconscious Hugo. "This one betrayed you."

Anamaria almost didn't dare speak up, but she summoned her strength. "He's with the Fellowship. They set a trap for us."

Godric turned his head to look at her, but Eric ignored her. "How long has it been since you fed?"

"I require very little blood anymore." He answered simply. Both she and Eric noticed that he didn't answer the question. An alarm sounded, cutting through the tension in the room. "Go. Save the girl."

"I'm not leaving your side-!" Eric protested but Godric cut across him firmly.

"I can take care of myself."

"Eric, please, we have to go!" Anamaria pleaded, stepping closer to Maker and Child.

Godric looked deeply into Eric's eyes. "Spill no blood on your way out." He commanded. "Go. Now."

Eric didn't look happy with the situation, but stood up and took hold of Anamaria's hand. Godric noticed. As Eric led her towards the stairs up to the Church, as she passed Godric, she grabbed his hand briefly and held onto it desperately. "Please be careful." She pleaded. With a slightly baffled look, he nodded.

!"!

Anamaria and Eric hurried quietly down the corridors of the Church, stopping when they reached the main lobby. Fellowship members with stakes were ushering unarmed people out through the main doors, locking the large doors behind them.

"I could have you out in seconds-"

"There are kids out there – remember what Godric said." She reminded him of Godric's orders not to harm anyone. She tucked herself under his arm almost in an effort to dissuade him from using violence.

He frowned, but tightened his arm around her. "None of these people would think twice about killing us."

"Well we'll just have to be better than them, won't we?" She said poignantly. Eric's unimpressed look shut her up, but only for a second. "Quick question: how did you know where I was?"

"Your friend called me; Danny sends his regards."

"Good boy Danny." Anamaria smiled.

"Quick question," Eric mocked, "How did _Danny_ know where you were?"

"Are you jealous, sweetie?" She smiled sweetly at him. He gave her a hard look, but she refused to buckle. "All in good time, Eric, all in good time. Now about Godric." Eric immediately tensed, his jaw clenching. "He's your Maker, isn't he? He called you 'Child'."

Eric snarled quietly, "Don't use words you don't understand."

She wasn't deterred. "You have a lot of love for him." She stated surely.

"Don't use words I don't understand."

They both turned back to look at the guards on the door. Three men – two in their late teens/early twenties, one in his forties. Eric could easily overpower them, but Godric's non-violence order came to their minds. Eric removed his arm from around her and edged forward. "Eric, no!" She insisted, taking hold of his hand again.

The Viking vampire turned back to her, cupped the back of her neck with his free hand and pressed his lips to her ear. "Trust me." He whispered so softly that she barely heard him over the sound of her own heart pounding, and not from their escape attempt. He stepped around the corner and headed over to the three men, his shoulders hunching and his walk awkward. "Hey y'all, how's it goin'?"

"You gotta be kidding me." Anamaria mumbled under her breath as she watched Eric try to act human. He was not convincing.

"Steve sent me over to man the exit."

"By yourself?" The oldest Fellowship member asked sceptically.

"Uh, yeah." Eric nodded hard, sending his hair flopping.

"Look, you're big and all, but there's a vampire on the loose."

Eric acted dumb. "Oh…"

The third Fellowship member grew suspicious. "Where's your stake?"

Eric patted himself down. "Oh, dang! I must have forgot it. Maybe I could borrow yours, i-if that's okay?"

"I can't do that, get your own!"

"I'd very much like to borrow your stake." From his tone of voice, Eric was clearly Glamouring the man.

Just as the third man was handing Eric his stake, the older man had moved behind Eric and raised his own stake. "Eric!" Anamaria cried out a warning. The vampire moved quickly, dispatching all three men non-lethally. As Eric kicked away their stakes so the men couldn't reach them, Anamaria hurried over to the main door and peeked out of it. Dozens of armed Fellowship members were heading straight for them. "We'll have to go through the Sanctuary."

They hurried into the main room of the Church, heading down the aisle. "Where's the exit?" Eric asked.

"Back that way."

"There are several exits actually." Steve Newlin appeared from a door to the left of the altar, standing in front of the stone block. "But for you, the easiest exit takes you straight to Hell." Every door to the Sanctuary opened and Fellowship members piled in, all armed with silver chains, stakes and other weapons.

"Look, just let us leave! No-one has to die!" Anamaria bargained.

"The war has begun, you evil whore of Satan! You vampires cast the first stone by murdering my family. The lines have been drawn! You're either with us or against us. We are prepared for Armageddon."

Eric surveyed the room as Anamaria spoke again. "The vampire you were holding prisoner got away! He's a Sheriff; he's bound to send for help!"

"I'm not concerned with Godric!" Steve dismissed. "Any vampire will do for our grand celebration, and we've got one right here!" He announced cheerily, pointing to Eric. The room erupted with happy cheers from the Fellowship members.

Anamaria looked at a quiet Eric, gripping his hand tightly in hers. Had he been human, his bones might have broken. Eric looked back at her. "I'll be fine." He whispered, letting go of her hand and moving forward.

"Eric, don't you fucking dare." She hissed to no avail.

"Brothers and sisters, there will be a holy bonfire at dawn." Steve happily announced, his gleeful expression turning Anamaria's stomach.

Eric was silvered and chained to the altar, the vampire strong and old enough not to cry out too harshly at the torture, but he gave the occasional low groan as his skin hissed and bubbled. When Anamaria had tried to rush forward to help him, she was grabbed and held back by two men.

"You see, my friends, just as our Lord was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, so too can silver betray a child of Satan to the world!"

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Anamaria cried. "Honestly, how can you people listen to this?"

Eric spoke lowly from his position on the altar. "I offer myself in exchange for Godric's freedom, and the girl's."

"Yeah, yeah, that's very noble. But she's a traitor to her race, she doesn't deserve mercy." Steve leant down over Eric's face. "Maybe we should tie her to you so you can meet the sun together, hmm? I bet this little bitch would roast up nicely." He leered at Anamaria as she struggled against the two men holding her.

"Newlin!" A man's voice shouted from across the hall. Everyone turned in time to see Jason Stackhouse, armed with a paintball gun, aim at Steve. "Don't insult my sister, fuckwad!" With two quick pulls of the trigger, he shot Steve on the forehead and in his crotch. Steve cried out in anger and pain, cursing Jason out as he bent over, cupping his temple and balls.

Using the distraction, Anamaria elbowed the two men holding her, freeing herself and running to the stone altar. Gently but quickly pulling the silver chains from around his neck, ankles and wrists, she released Eric. "Come on, up you get!" The blonde vampire, now incensed with Steve's threats against Anamaria, grabbed the Reverend, forcing him onto his back on the floor. "Eric, don't kill him!" She ordered desperately.

"Kill him! Kill the motherfucker!" Jason encouraged, now being restrained by some Fellowship members.

"Martyr us!" Steve cried from the floor, looking to the Church's ceiling with a blank look on his face. "Martyr us before God! We are willing to die!"

Before Eric could do anything, distant crashes echoed through the Church halls, silencing the room. Suddenly, the doors to the Sanctuary were ripped off their hinges and thrown into the Church, sending people running and screaming.

"Steve Newlin!" A man's voice with a familiar Southern drawl resonated through the room. A crowd of vampires began to filter in, led by Stan. "You have pushed us too far. You expect us to just sit on our thumbs while you gather up men to come lynch us?" He chuckled darkly. "We'll kill you first. The same way we killed your father."

"Oh shit…" Anamaria mumbled under her breath, holding her hand over her breast.

"Destroy them. All of them." Stan ordered the dozens of vampires in the Church, bringing out his fangs with a ferocious snarl.

The Church was filled with screams and fear-filled cries as the Fellowship members tried to flee, but were quickly grabbed by vampires. Eric released his grip of Newlin and pulled Anamaria into his arms, protecting her with his body. The young woman closed her eyes as she waited for the inevitable more violent screams and sounds of death to start, when another voice cut through the Church.

"Enough!" She knew that voice: Godric. Looking up, she saw the vampire standing at the back of the Church, high in the eaves with moonlight cascading through the stained-glass window behind him. The screams stopped as the vampires saw their Sheriff. "You came for me, I assume?" Godric asked Stan, who was still holding the neck of a Fellowship member. "Underling." Godric said more firmly, making Stan roll his eyes and grunt a 'yes, Sheriff'. "These people have not harmed me. You see? We can co-exist." He looked to Steve Newlin, who was still on the floor by Eric's feet. "Mr Newlin, I do not wish to cause bloodshed where none is called for. Help me set an example. If we leave you in peace, will you do the same?"

Newlin scoffed and snarled, "I will not negotiate with sub-humans!" He got to his knees and loosened his tie, exposing his neck. "Kill me," He said to Eric, "Jesus will protect me."

"I'm actually older than your Jesus." Godric commented dryly, stunning the Fellowship members. "I wish I could have known him, but I missed it." He shrugged casually, acting his physical age. Then, with a blur, he was gone. Half a second later, he appeared right behind Newlin, grabbing his collar and dragging him to his feet. "Good people, who of you is willing to die for this man's madness?" He asked the Fellowship. Long seconds passed and not one person made a sound or tried to help Newlin. "That's what I thought. Stand down, everyone." He ordered the vampires, who all immediately released the humans they'd been restraining. "People, go home. It's over now." Anamaria slumped in relief in Eric's arms, burying her face into the vampire's shirt. The Fellowship members all turned and hurried out of the Church, while Newlin begged them pathetically not to leave him. When the last member had left, Godric threw Newlin to the floor. "I dare say that my faith in humankind is stronger than yours." Then he looked to Eric. "Come." He ordered gently. He looked to Anamaria, who found herself blushing under his intense stare.

"You two go, I need to talk to my brother." She answered somewhat meekly, extracting herself from Eric's hold. Godric gave a nod, then walked down the aisle of the Church.

Stan stopped him a moment later. "Sir, after what these humans have done to you-"

"I said come." Godric cut across him sharply. The cowboy ducked his head and stepped aside, following his Sheriff and Eric.

Jason jogged down the aisle, nervously giving the three vampires a wide birth, then hugged Anamaria tightly. "Oh thank God, Ana! Are you alright?" Anamaria wiggled out of Jason's arms, then started slapping him wherever she could reach. "Hey, hey! What'cha doin'?" He snapped, trying to stop Anamaria's hits.

"You idiot! What are you doing here, huh? Joining some idiot Church? You fucking moron!" She hissed, cursing him out in rapid Spanish, not noticing that Godric and Eric had stopped at the entrance to the Sanctuary and were watching them closely.

"No, no, it's not that! Gran sent me!"

Anamaria paused. "What?"

"Gran thought you might get into trouble so she told me to come."

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "How did you know I'd be at the Church?"

"You said you were going to help some kidnapped vampire; she figured that a vampire-hating Church might've had something to do with it."

"Sounds like a smart woman." Newlin spoke up sarcastically from the floor. Standing up and brushing himself off, he said, "But that won't save her on the Day of Reckoning. She's still a sympathiser. We'll see who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell."

"Oh yeah?" Jason asked with a smirk. Anamaria frowned; she knew that tone, it was his cocky voice he used when he knew something someone else didn't. "I reckon I've already been to Heaven…It was inside your wife." Then he punched Newlin, sending the Reverend back to the floor.

"Okay, come on!" Anamaria gave Jason a hard nudge backwards down the aisle as he shouted at Newlin. "Jason, ¡ _ve_!" She clicked her fingers at him, pointing back towards the entrance to the Church.

"Shithead!" He shouted for good measure before obeying his sister and heading out the Church.

When brother and sister passed by a stunned Godric and mildly impressed Eric, Anamaria gave a timid shrug. "Boys will be boys."


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 8**

The meeting-cum-gathering was in full swing by the time Anamaria came back downstairs. When they had all arrived back at Godric's house – or 'nest' as per vampire terminology – the Sheriff had asked Isabel to find Anamaria some fresh clothes, seeing as how Gabe's assault against her had ripped her pantyhose and the top buttons off her dress. Finding some well-fitting clothes had been a small ordeal, given that Isabel was taller and slimmer than Anamaria was. Isabel had suggested a dress or skirt, as they would sit on the human's wider hips easier than jeans or leggings; the Latina politely declined, explaining that she didn't like showing her legs. With a pair of elasticated leggings and a long-sleeved tunic shirt, Anamaria headed into the bathroom and got changed, adjusting her cleavage in her new shirt. She quickly ran a brush through her hair, dabbed just a little perfume on her chest and wrists – knowing too much would offend the senses of the vampires downstairs – and then headed to the gathering.

Anamaria forced herself to breathe calmly, trying not to let every vampire know how intimidated she was to be in a room filled with the creatures. A few vampires, she could handle; a few dozen was a different story. Fortunately for her, Eric found her and took hold of her arm.

"I see Isabel found you some clothes." He stated, taking in her outfit.

"Nothing gets past you, huh?" She whispered, nervously looking around the room. Every vampire was dressed in black leather, with a few human 'companions' milling around. It reminded Anamaria of Fangtasia, making her oddly homesick. "So, what's the protocol here?"

"Protocol?" Eric smirked at her, amused by her nerves.

"Yeah. I mean, do I do small talk with people? Offer refreshments? Sit quietly in a corner?"

He chuckled, cupping the back of her neck. She smiled; cupping her neck seemed to be his signature move. It was comforting. "Anamaria, if you go around 'offering refreshments', many vampires might get the wrong idea."

"Oh yeah, of course!"

Saving her further embarrassment, he gestured across the room. "Go get yourself a drink from the kitchen; there are humans there who can help." He gave her a nudge in the right direction, and then walked off.

"Oh just leave me then…" She mumbled, knowing he'd hear her anyway. His chuckle told her he had. Her cellphone vibrated from inside the small clutch bag Isabel had lent her. Taking it out, she saw she had a few missed calls and a text. The missed calls were all from Adele; the text was from Danny, a friend from college. He was studying Communication Technology.

' _Stop or keep rolling?'_ The text read.

Anamaria tapped out a response. _'Keep rolling, you never know,,you getting everything?'_

A reply came back immediately; he'd probably been waiting for her to reply. _'Loud n Clear bae'._

' _Good boy xxx'._

Smiling smugly, Anamaria slipped her phone back into the clutch, heading into the kitchen. The human companions were nice enough, though not overly friendly with her. They probably thought she was just another fangbanger. But they were the ones walking around with fang marks on their necks; not her.

Her phone buzzed again. Adele was calling her. She answered it with a smile, stepping out into the garden through the sliding glass doors in the kitchen. The entire house was _très chic_ , not quite Anamaria's style. " _Hola, abuelita._ " She cooed happily. She needed to tell her about—

" _Don't you start with me, young lady! You didn't call me this morning, or last night! What in God's name happened to you?"_

"Calm down, Adele, calm down. I'm alright."

" _What happened? I was out of my mind with worry!"_

"It's a long story, _abuela_ , and I'm kind of busy."

" _Busy? Busy doing what?"_ She snapped.

"I'm at a kind-of party."

" _Well who's hosting this ridiculous event?"_

Anamaria paused, trying to keep her immense happiness in check long enough to have this conversation. Taking a slow deep breath, she whispered as tears filled her eyes, "I found him."

There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line, followed by an intake of breath. _"You found him?"_

Anamaria nodded, but then realised Adele couldn't see her. "Angel. I found him." A happy sob burst from her chest, making her press the back of her hand to her mouth. "He's in the house; it's his house, actually."

" _Have you talked to him? What's he like?"_

"Not much yet. He's someone important here in Dallas, there's a queue of people wanting to talk to him." She turned around and looked through the glass doors to see Godric sitting in an armchair in – what looked like – his office, a line of vampires waiting to get an audience with him.

" _Was he the missing vampire Mr Northman asked you to find?"_

"Yeah, as it turns out."

" _What does he look like?"_

"Perfect." Anamaria gushed in a loving whisper. "Exactly as he always has. But he looks bored right now." She giggled gently.

" _Well you get back in there and you talk to him!"_ Adele paused for a moment, before speaking seriously. _"You've waited years for this opportunity, sweetheart. Don't worry about messing it up; just do what feels natural, and everything will be fine. Everything happens for a reason."_

"I know, _mama_. You know, it's weird…If I'd never…" She paused, a lump in her throat forming as she thought of her past, "If I hadn't done those things, I would never have seen Angel. I wouldn't have known how much he cared for me, and I wouldn't have recognised Godric tonight."

" _Godric? His name is Godric?"_ Adele laughed joyfully. _"Anamaria, sweetheart, this man can only be good for you! Even his name sounds wonderful!"_

Anamaria laughed herself as her grandmother's tone. The sliding door behind her opened and a cool hand came on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Eric, holding out a glass for her. "Drink." He ordered. "Gin and tonic; I believe that's your drink."

She nodded and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Eric."

" _Is that Mr Northman?"_ Adele called from her end of the line.

"Yes, Ms Stackhouse." He grumbled clearly enough for Anamaria's phone microphone to pick up his voice.

" _Are you looking after my granddaughter? Why didn't she call me this morning? I thought she'd died!"_

"Okay, _mama_ , I have to go now!" Anamaria rushed out, saying a quick 'I love you', making a few kissing sounds, and then hanging up. As she put her phone back into her clutch bag, she couldn't stop her blush. She always felt that Eric judged and mocked her relationship with Adele, and she hated herself for giving into it. "She asked me to call every morning and night." She explained quietly as she took the gin-tonic from Eric. The vampire didn't speak, just watched her. "When I was in the basement, I obviously missed the calls. She got worried."

"Evidently." He commented dryly.

Anamaria nervously cleared her throat. "Shall we go back inside?"

When she tried to walk past him, Eric stepped in front of her. "First things first. How do you know Godric?"

"Um-"

"Don't try and lie to me, Anamaria. Back in that basement, you clearly recognised him; how?"

Anamaria paused, waiting for her Angel's – or rather, Godric's – voice to come into her mind and tell her what to do. But nothing came. There was nothing but her own thoughts and the sound of her blood rushing through her ears. She laughed nervously. "This is so weird."

"What is?" Eric asked testily.

"I don't know if I can tell you yet. I mean, he isn't telling me I shouldn't, but something still feels weird about it, like I should wait a while."

Eric took a threatening step towards her, making her tilt her back to look at him. "'He'? Godric?"

She took a small step back, looking into Eric's eyes so that he could see that she was being honest with him. "Eric, tonight was the first time I have ever seen Godric in the flesh."

"But you have seen him before?" He took another step towards her.

"Uh…Kind of…"

"What do you mean, 'kind of'?" He demanded. He took another step forward.

Anamaria squeaked nervously when she realised she had been backed up against a wall of the house. "It's…It's quite hard to explain-"

"Anamaria," Eric spoke firmly, looking deeply into her eyes, "You will tell me everything you know about Godric."

Out of nowhere, her head started to pound and her eyes ached in their sockets. She closed her eyes. "Eric, stop it!" His cold hand reached up and grabbed her chin, forcing her head back up. She opened her eyes again and was forced to meet his intense gaze. Her head hurt again. "Eric, you're hurting me!"

"You can't be Glamoured?" He whispered, almost in awe.

"Hey! What's going on here?" The two of them turned their heads and saw Jason standing in the doorway, looking pissed off at Eric.

The vampire spoke smoothly. "The hero of the hour."

"I ain't no hero." Jason insisted, stepping out onto the patio. He looked to his almost-sister. "You okay, Ana?"

Eric spoke when Anamaria gave Jason a nod. "You're a hero for this town, at least. And you have my gratitude for helping Anamaria in the Church." Jason gave his own nod, acknowledging Eric's thanks. "That being said, go away. Anamaria and I are talking."

"It looks to me like you're scaring my sister, Northman."

"Your sweet sister has answers to my question." Eric snarled. "Now be a good boy and run along."

Before Jason could say or do something he'd quickly regret, Anamaria spoke up, putting her hand on Eric's chest. "Eric, I promise you will have answers to all of your questions, in time. I swear it." She said seriously. "Just be a little patient. Please." She looked at him pleadingly, hoping it would work.

Eric looked at her as he considered her pleas. "I'll be patient-"

"Thank you!" She gushed.

"-If you let me feed on you tonight."

!"!

Anamaria watched Godric from her spot in the kitchen. She had just poured her third gin and tonic, made necessary by Eric's surprising and slightly scary demand on her earlier. In the end, she hadn't had much of a choice. Even though her Angel hadn't told her what to do, all her instincts had told her that she shouldn't tell Eric anything about Angel/Godric. Not yet, at least. Perhaps she should tell Godric first. After all, he was the one whom she had been 'seeing' and 'hearing' for the past seven years; surely, he should be told first?

The line of people who had wanted to thank Godric had ended a short while ago, and the young-looking but ancient vampire had been sitting silently in his chair, not even watching the party around him. It was now or never. She put a TruBlood into the microwave and heated it, taking it out when the machine beeped at her. As she headed over to Godric, she found her stomach filling with butterflies the closer she got to him. When she was twelve or so feet away from him, he looked up and saw her.

His ice blue eyes locked on her chocolate ones, making her pause in her approach. Recovering, she made her way over to him and held out the bottle of TruBlood.

"Drink up."

"Miss Stackhouse-"

"I'm not a Stackhouse." She smiled nervously, unable to quell her nerves at finally meeting the man she had been in love with for so long. "I'm a Santiago." She gently shook the bottle at him. "You going to make me hold this all night?" Acquiescing to her, he took the TruBlood, but made no effort to drink it. "Jason's my brother, but not biologically. His grandmother kind of adopted me when I was younger; I've lived with them ever since." She noted wearily that he still didn't drink the blood. "It's A positive." She pointed to the bottle. "I didn't know what you'd like best – A positive or O – so I took a guess."

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry."

"Yeah, you said so in the Church." She mused unhappily as she wheeled his work chair from around the glass desk. Pulling it next to him and sitting with her legs crossed, she took a sip of her own drink. "Don't think I didn't notice how you dodged Eric's question."

He had been watching her curiously, intrigued by her casual attitude towards him. Most humans who came into his nest were either desperate 'fangbangers' Stan brought back or were outright scared of him. "Pardon?"

"You didn't answer his question. 'When was the last time you fed?' 'I require very little blood anymore'. Crafty. I only know because I used to do the same to my gran. 'Did you eat your lunch today?' 'I'm going upstairs, leave me alone!'" She smiled in spite of herself, but then looked at him seriously. "Please drink, Godric. Just a little." He still made no effort to lift the bottle to his mouth. Time to pull out the big guns… "If you don't like the bottled stuff, you could drink from me."

His head shot up, almost in alarm. "Miss Santiago-"

"It's 'Anamaria', and I'm serious. I'll open a vein right here and now if you'll drink a little." She declared solemnly. This man had saved her life several times in the past; if it took him feeding off her to help sate his hunger, she would gladly slit both her wrists for him. She knew how.

"Miss Santiago, I don't think you realise-"

"Excuse me, everyone! If I could have your attention, please." A man called from the main living room. Godric stood up and held his hand out to Anamaria. She took it without hesitation, hardly noticing the small jolt that occurred the second their skin touched. Heading into the large and open room, the whole party had stopped to focus on a young man standing in the middle of the room. A bad feeling settled in Anamaria's gut, making her squeeze Godric's hand nervously. "My name is Luke McDonald. I'm a member of the Fellowship of the Sun." _Shit…_ "And I've got a message for you all from Reverend Steve Newlin."

He unzipped his jacket, revealing a torso loaded with bricks of C4 explosive, silver chains wrapped around him, and silver bullets aimed outwards.

He raised his arm, detonator in hand.

Then everything went black.


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 9**

"My name is Luke McDonald. I'm a member of the Fellowship of the Sun." _Shit…_ "And I've got a message for you all from Reverend Steve Newlin."

He unzipped his jacket, revealing a torso loaded with bricks of C4 explosive, silver chains wrapped around him, and silver bullets aimed outwards.

He raised his arm, a detonator in hand.

Then everything went black.

The ringing in her ears was excruciating, as if her head were trapped in a vice. The weight on her back was lifted off, and Anamaria slowly struggled to her knees. Thankfully, nothing felt broken. She held her hands over her ears, hoping it would help with the pain but she knew it wouldn't. As her hearing slowly returned, she became aware of screams and cries around her, and kept her eyes firmly shut. A hand rested on her shoulder, shaking her slowly. There was a mumble near her ear, but she couldn't make it out. She was shaken again with another mumble. She opened her eyes and turned towards the odd sound.

It was Godric, or was it Angel? She couldn't tell.

"Which one are you?" She grumbled, steadying herself by holding his shoulder.

Her hearing came back in time to hear, "Miss Santiago, it's Godric. Can you hear me?"

"I can now."

"Are you injured?"

With his help, she stood up and nervously patted herself down. "No, I think I'm okay. You?" She queried, looking him over. Apart from being covered in dust and dirt, he looked fine.

"I'm well. Perhaps you should sit down?"

"No!" She cried, "There's too much to do."

She stumbled into the main sitting area, trying not to look too closely at the death and destruction around her. Humans had done this, the so-called Christians from the Fellowship of the Sun. How could God-loving people do this? As she took another step forward, a hand grabbed her ankle. She almost tripped as she regained her balance, looking at the floor.

"Eric! Are you alright?"

"Dying..." He rasped as he lay sprawled on the floor.

Anamaria looked at him suspiciously. He had few blood spots on him and there was gravel in his hair. That was it. "And I'm not buying it. Get up and stop wasting time." As she walked further into the room, she heard a dramatic sigh from behind her and then the sound of someone standing up. He'd seriously thought she'd fall for that performance? If he'd been truly injured, Godric would have been there to help. Speaking of which...

The 2,000-year-old vampire was just standing in the middle of the room, looking around at the carnage. There was no time for that! "Godric!" She called out as she moved towards him. He looked at her. "Look, I know you're pissed off about your house, but you can't just stand there! Get on the phone and find somewhere for everyone to go!" She ordered, clearly surprising him with her tone.

She turned around and found Eric right in front of her, glaring down at her. "No-one talks to Godric that way." It was a cross between a shocked statement and a threatening command.

"Yeah, well, I do." She moved past him, looking for another blonde. "Jason! Jason!" She called in her best authoritative voice. She heard a faint shout back as her brother appeared across the room. He was covered with blood, but he gave her two thumbs-up. He was fine.

Anamaria found Isabel aiding survivors, and she joined her. For the next twenty minutes, the pair of them helped everyone they could, trying to contain further losses by stopping people bleeding, removing any objects pinning them down and helping them to their feet. Nearly everyone made it out, only a few piles of blood and guts indicated that some vampires hadn't been as lucky, and three human companions would need to be buried.

When the worst of the chaos had been sorted, Isabel returned to Godric, giving him a report of the deaths and casualties. Anamaria made her way back to Eric, who had stood beside Godric the whole time, neither of them moving a muscle the whole time. Godric seemed to be in shock and despair; Eric was just lazy and disinterested.

Isabel tried to get everyone's attention, but no-one listened. Jason gave a loud whistle and shouted for people to listen. It worked; Jason had always had a way of rallying people together. With the whole room focused on him, Godric spoke.

"They may come back. Everyone go to the Hotel Carmilla. They've been alerted, and security is in place." On their Sheriff's orders, everyone milled out slowly, most vampires limping or hobbling as their wounds had yet to heal from the silver bullets that had exploded from the bomber's chest.

Anamaria waited for everyone to leave, noting how Eric moved towards the exit but seemed to wait for Godric. But the older vampire was just standing in the room, still transfixed by the destruction. She walked over to him, gently touching his forearm. His head snapped around to look at her.

"I...I'm sorry I shouted before." He said nothing. "It was a really nice house." She said awkwardly, patting his arm. Again, he said nothing. "Come on, _querido_. Let's go." She took hold of his hand and slowly led him out of the ruined house, ignoring Eric's stunned face as she did so.

!"!

Anamaria stepped out of the shower, wringing out her rainbow coloured hair. Wrapping a soft and luxurious dressing gown around her body, and a towel around her head, she headed back into her suite, walking over to her suitcase. She pulled out a fresh pair of panties, her long-sleeved pyjama top and yoga pants, used the towel on her head to partly dry her hair, and then unwrapped the gown from around her body. Throwing it in the general direction of the bathroom, she moved to pick up her panties. But paused. She never heard the gown hit the ground. With a frown, she turned around. And screamed.

Eric stood in the middle of the suite, absently folding the gown over his arm, his eyes taking in every inch of her exposed body. He smirked and hummed to himself. "Such a strange sensation when the reality matches what you've pictured in your mind so precisely." He grinned and chuckled. "Well, almost matches. I have to say, it suits you. I rather like it." He leered.

She scrambled for the pyjama top and yoga pants, but there was a whoosh of air, and Eric had her body pressed against his. "Eric, get out of my room!" She snapped, torn between struggling to get away from him, and standing still so she wouldn't be inadvertently grinding her naked body to his.

"It's not _your_ room, Anamaria; I'm paying for it."

"Only because I came to help Godric!"

"All work and no play-"

"I'm not here to play with you, Eric Northman!" She snapped, managing to take hold of her pyjama top. She awkwardly twisted around in his arms and started putting it on.

As she was putting her arms in the sleeves, Eric's fingertips glided over her right shoulder blade and down her side. "Now I'm almost glad you insist on covering yourself…No-one else should get to see this."

Viciously pulling the top down over her head, she huffed. "Caveman."

"No. Viking." He corrected teasingly.

She managed to pull on her underwear and yoga pants, before spinning around and pushing at his chest. He hardly budged. "Why are you here?"

"We had a deal, remember?" He winked.

"No, the deal was that you would be patient-"

"For answers, yes. And in exchange-"

"You are not biting me, Eric."

"It can be quite painless." He continued, ignoring her protests. He pushed her hair back over her shoulder, exposing one side of her neck. "If you're worried about pain, you really shouldn't be. Many women actually find it erotic." He said in a promising whisper.

"Eric, no." She insisted more firmly, taking a step back. The step she took was too large, and she ended up falling back and sitting on the bed.

Eric cupped the back of her neck firmly, bending over her to look in her eyes. "A deal is a deal, Anamaria. And don't forget…You. Are. Mine." His fangs extended and he leant in slowly, pressing soft kisses to her neck.

Her whole body betrayed her, going slack in Eric's hold, her heart beating faster and her breathing coming out in quick gasps. "Eric…Don't…" She pleaded, but even she knew her heart wasn't in it. It felt right to let Eric feed on her, the feeling coming from a place that she couldn't understand.

Eric swiped the skin of her neck with his tongue, pressing a final kiss there before gently sliding his fangs into her soft skin. There was a pinch of pain, making her huff and squirm, but his gentle hand holding her neck and his other hand holding her hip and stroking her skin through her top helped her relax. Eric moaned the second her blood flooded his mouth, suckling slowly, wanting this feed to last all night. Who knows when she'd let him feed on her again, and her blood was the most delicious he'd had in a long time.

With every long pull of his mouth, Anamaria whimpered lowly, her eyes closing as a wonderful feeling of peace and calm washed over her; a feeling she had only ever known with Angel. Too relaxed to dwell on it, she let herself feel the ecstasy pooling within her, a moan falling from her lips. That moan was Eric's undoing, drinking faster as he moved over her, laying her down on the bed. His feeding was so gentle and controlled that not even a single drop of blood trickled down her neck; her blood was too delicious to waste.

When she released her second moan, a voice interrupted them. "That's enough, Eric." It was Godric. Eric made a pouting noise against her skin, obviously not wanting to stop so soon. Godric repeated himself more firmly, "That is enough, Child."

Eric huffed against Anamaria's neck, drawing his fangs out of her skin, but keeping his mouth on her. Pricking the tip of his tongue with his fang, he healed the marks in her neck, although he longed for the world to see his claim on her. Lapping away the last of the blood with his tongue, he eventually pulled away and straightened up, pulling Anamaria to her feet slowly.

"Master." Eric said respectfully.

"I think we should leave Miss Santiago to get some rest. It's been a long day and night, for us all." He nodded his head towards Eric's suite. The tall vampire was clearly reluctant to go, but obeyed his Maker regardless of his own feelings. He closed the door behind him, leaving Godric and Anamaria alone. The ancient vampire had showered and was dressed in clean grey linens, his hair still a little damp. Despite that, Anamaria still felt underdressed somehow with her own damp hair and yoga pants. "How are you feeling, Miss Santiago?"

"Good, thanks. And you can call me Anamaria, or just Ana, if you want." She smiled at him, but he remained impassive. She hesitated for a moment before going to the state-of-the-arts stereo across the suite and turning it on. Leaving it on the first station, she turned the volume up to an almost painful level, then hurried back over to Godric. Getting very close to him, to his visible surprise and perhaps even discomfort, she leant in towards his ear. "Is there a reason why you were acting like you don't know me?"

Godric leant back and stared at her. "I beg your pardon?"

"I mean, was it because of your nest? Like, you couldn't act like you knew me in front of them?"

"Miss Santiago-"

She interrupted, "Anamaria."

Godric frowned a little but continued, "Anamaria, I do not know you."

She felt like she had been kicked in the gut. "What?" She choked.

"I have never met you before."

"You…Never?" She whispered, her heart starting to break. He shook his head. "Godric, please…Please tell me you know me, even in some way." She begged, wanting desperately to throw her arms around him, but her body wouldn't move.

"I do not know you, Miss Santiago. I have never seen you before tonight."

Anamaria didn't know what to say. He had never seen her? He didn't know who she was? How was that possible? She knew who he was! She'd seen him first when she was fourteen, nearly a decade ago. Had he not had those experiences? She needed to tell him everything.

"Godric-"

The door connecting her suite to Eric's opened, and the Viking put his head into the room. "Master, dawn is approaching; we must go to ground."

"Yes, Eric." He nodded, and then turned back to a devastated and heartbroken Anamaria, oblivious to her emotions. "Good night, Miss Santiago." Then he left, walking out of her suite without looking back.

!"!

Anamaria paced the hotel suite all day, unable to shut her mind off for even a second. After she had cried herself to sleep that morning, she had tossed and turned endlessly, hardly getting any rest at all. Just after noon, she had decided to give up on sleep and get out of bed. That had led to hours of pacing the room as she tried to come up with a plan. She had had to make peace with the knowledge that Godric didn't know her. Fine. The main question was; how was she going to change that? She needed to make herself a bigger part of his life; she needed him to understand who she was to him and why she mattered. After all, he was everything to her; she couldn't be nothing to him. She needed to try a different approach, as well as tell him everything she knew and had experienced with him.

A few minutes before sunset, Anamaria stepped quietly into Eric's suite, knowing Godric had bunked with Eric last night/that morning. The room was dark, with the shutters completely blocking out every shed of light from the outside. She felt around the wall for the switch, flicking the bedside lamps on. Eric and Godric lay on the king-size bed, both looking…Well, dead as they lay on their back, completely unmoving. Anamaria tiptoed over to the bed, not wanting to startle them.

As she stood at the side of the bed, Anamaria looked down into Godric's resting face for a few minutes, feeling her own face soften into a smile. He looked so peaceful, not as sad as he seemed when he was awake.

"Godric." She whispered. "Godric, wake up." Reaching out, she gently touched his shoulder.

It happened too quickly for her to react.

His hand shot up, grabbed her throat and pulled her down onto the bed.

He was on top of her.

His fangs were in her throat.

She couldn't even scream.


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 10**

Just before his eyes snapped open for the night, Eric's senses awoke first. He smelled blood. Opening his eyes, he saw the door leading to Anamaria's room straight in front of him. It was open. Her room was dark. He realised that the lights were on in his room. She must have come into his room at some point. And it was definitely her blood he smelled. The scent was so strong that he could taste it on his tongue.

"Godric, Anamaria's-"

He turned his head to look at his Maker and froze. The older vampire was feeding greedily, lost to everything around him as his mouth and lips made sucking noises against the skin. Normally, watching his Maker feed on a human was something Eric enjoyed, usually because he was also feeding on the human, but this time he grew concerned. It was easy to see that the human under his Maker was Anamaria, _his_ human. It didn't bother him that Godric was feeding on her. Godric was everything to Eric; he didn't need to ask Eric's permission to feed on his human, Eric would give his Maker anything he wanted. He'd died for him if he asked. It was Anamaria he was concerned about.

"Anamaria?" He called out clearly. He got no response. Godric's head was against her neck, blocking Eric's view of her face, but her left arm was on the bed between the two vampires, unmoving. Eric took hold of her hand firmly. "Anamaria." Again, no response. He changed tactic, touching Godric's shoulder. "Godric, stop." His Maker didn't react, just kept feeding on Anamaria. Her heartbeat was slow, and she was barely breathing. This feed had to end now. "Godric. _Godric!_ " He shouted, punching his Maker's shoulder.

The Gaul vampire's head shot up, his fangs bared to his Child, his eyes feral. Anamaria's blood dripped down his mouth and chin, trickling down his neck. It took a second, but Godric's eyes eventually cleared and his fangs immediately slid back in. He looked at Eric in shock. "Eric? What happened?"

His Child ignored him, turning his attention to Anamaria, unconscious on the bed. "Anamaria, wake up." He ordered gently, lightly patting her cheek. Stroking her hair, he bit into his fingers, smearing his blood liberally over the bite on her neck, sealing the wound and preventing further blood loss. She was pale under her tanned skin, her heart still beating slowly. "Anamaria, wake up now. Come on." He tapped her cheek harder, moving down and squeezing her hand just enough to cause a little pain. Her eyelids fluttered and she groaned. "Come on, _älskling_." He squeezed her thumb again, making her gasp and choke on her breath as the pain brought her around.

"Eric?"

"I'm here." He reassured her.

"Godric?"

The Gaul stayed silent, his mouth and chin still wet with her blood. Eric answered. "He's here."

"Is he better now?" She murmured, still weak from blood loss. That question made both vampires pause and look at each other. "He fed, right? Does he feel better?"

Neither man knew how to answer her question. Godric actually did look healthier and stronger than the night before; his eyes were lighter, and he had some semblance of colour in his cheeks. The feed had done him good, even if he had taken too much from Anamaria.

"Anamaria, you need blood, you're very weak."

"'Member what happened last time…" She whispered, her eyes now open but blinking slowly at Eric.

"She's had your blood before?" Godric asked quietly. Guilt was gnawing at him over what he had done to Anamaria who, he could tell, was a sweet and innocent girl. She didn't deserve to be almost killed by an out of control vampire.

"She was badly beaten, on the verge of death. She needed blood to save her life, and I knew she'd be useful one day."

"You say the sweetest things."

Eric smirked at the girl's inner strength; even when she was half-dead on a bed between two vampires, she could still be sarcastic. "Anyway, I gave her my blood, and the next day she was – how did Adele phrase it? – 'a hyperactive jack-in-the-box'." He smirked at Godric. "She was painting but could hardly keep herself still on the stool. She was so wired, it looked like she'd smeared paint all over her arms. But it wasn't paint, was it, Miss Santiago?" He chuckled and looked at Godric. "You should see, Godric, she has more-" The lazy slap surprised him. Staring down at the young woman in his arms, a hard glare marring her perfect face, he grinned. "…More balls that I do." He finished with a theatrical wink. She gave a nod and then relaxed on the bed again. "But seriously, Anamaria, you need blood."

"What if I go crazy again?"

"Remember how I calmed you that night before we headed into _Fangtasia_? I'll just do that again." Eric shrugged, lifting his wrist to his mouth and bringing out his fangs.

"Wait." Anamaria said firmly. Eric paused. "I want Godric's blood."

!"!

A meeting had been called for that night, with none other than Nan Flanagan, to discuss the events of the previous night. Nan had called the hotel and passed along the message; Anamaria, Eric and Godric were heading to the room Ms Flanagan had booked for herself to go to the ground in, given that she would arrive only an hour or so before dawn. When the trio arrived at the room, they saw that Isabel was already inside, waiting nervously for the A.V.L. spokeswoman. Anamaria greeted the other woman in Spanish, even giving her a hug when she seemed upset. Hugo had been her human and lover, and he had been the one to betray Godric and his nest to the Fellowship. She was understandably heartbroken.

Anamaria's cellphone rang in her jeans pocket. The room had been so silent and still that all three of the vampires had twitched and looked at her at the sound. The pale Latina excused herself and stepped outside. She smiled at the name of the screen. As she answered the call and held the phone to her ear, she didn't even get to say 'hello' before her friend's panicked voice cut through her eardrum.

" _What the fuck happened!"_

"Well 'hello' to you too, Danny." She said dryly.

" _Are you okay? There was a fucking explosion, Ana!"_

"Yeah I know, I _was_ there."

" _Jesus Christ, are you alright?"_

"I'm fine." She assured soothingly.

It didn't work. _"Swear to me!"_

She sighed at her friend's panic, but knew it came from a place of love. "I swear I'm fine."

" _You sound tired."_

"Well yeah, I _was_ in an explosion last night; sleep didn't come easy." She lied. He didn't need to know she was fatigued from blood loss. Before her friend could carry on, she changed the topic. "Did you get everything last night?"

" _Hell yeah I did! Well, almost. I mean, there's a little missing from the start, when that crazy motherfucker got everyone's attention, but after you stood up and faced him, we got everything."_

"When he said he was from the Fellowship?"

" _Loud and clear, baby. Even got Steve Newlin's name."_

Anamaria's face lit up. "Brilliant. Okay, well stop for now; I've got a meeting, all hush-hush. I'll call back when you can start again."

!"!

Isabel and Godric sat on one sofa opposite Anamaria and Eric on another sofa. Anamaria leant some of her weight on Eric, still fatigued and slightly light-headed from Godric's feed earlier. She was sure every vampire in the room could hear her fast heartbeat and laboured breathing. She desperately wanted coffee, but Eric had explained that the caffeine in the drink would only damage her system further by forcing her tired and depleted body to run on overdrive. The post-caffeine crash would be horrible, so she went without and could feel herself almost drifting off on the comfortable couch.

Ms Flanagan sat in her own armchair, looking and sounding very different to how she did on T.V. When Anamaria had tried to talk to her, to express her support and admiration for the woman, the vampiress had pushed her aside with an ' _out of my way, human_ ' as she called the meeting to order. "Do you have any fucking idea of the P.R. mess you've made? And who has to clean that shit up? Me. Not you, me! I should drain every one of you bastards." Nan Flanagan threatened, glaring at everyone in the room.

"Stan went to the Church on his own. None of us knew anything about it." Eric tried to explain but the vampiress was not receptive.

"Oh really?" She snapped sarcastically. "Because everyone who had met Stan in the last 300 years knew that he had a kink for slaughtering humans. But you, his nest mates, had no idea?"

"Well how were we to know that this time he meant it?" Isabel tried to ask but was cut off.

"Not my problem. Yours." She glared at Godric, who was silent and impassive. Again.

"Don't talk to him that way." Anamaria spoke up, unwilling to let this two-faced bitch talk to him like that. Godric seemed surprised that she had spoken up for him. After his feed, Eric had checked Anamaria over and determined that she'd lost about thirty percent of her blood volume, possibly more. Despite the seriousness of her condition, when she had asked Godric for his blood, the vampire had refused. He didn't say why, and Anamaria was too upset and hurt to ask. Eric had offered his blood again but Anamaria had said no. She'd wanted Godric's blood; she'd wanted to form the bond with him, hoping it would help him realise the connection they must already have.

"Don't talk to _me_ that way." She sneered, looking at the Latina with distaste. "Let's get to the point," She turned to Godric, "How'd they manage to abduct you?"

"They would have taken one of us sooner or later. I offered myself."

That stopped the room. All heads turned to him, and Eric's arm around Anamaria's shoulders tightened imperceptibly. She patted his knee, silently telling him that she understood and mirrored his concern.

"Why?" Nan asked in disbelief.

He countered, "Why not?"

"They wanted you to meet the sun and you were willing?"

"What do you think?" Godric drawled.

"I think you're crazy. And what's this I hear about a traitor?"

"Irrelevant." He answered quickly, saving Isabel the humiliation of having to explain that it had been her human to betray the nest. "Only a rumour. I'll take full responsibility."

"You bet your ass you will!"

"You cold bitch." Eric drawled lowly, clearing wanting to rip the other vampire apart.

"Listen," She started testily, "This is a national vampire disaster. And no-one at the top has any sympathy for you. Sheriff," She said to Godric, "You fucked up. You're fired."

"I agree." He nodded. "Of course. Isabel should take over; she had no role in my disgrace."

Everyone was flabbergasted. Isabel tried to protest. "Godric, fight back!"

"What are you saying?" Eric demanded. "She-She's a bureaucrat; you don't have to take shit from her!" Anamaria tried to mask her surprise; it was the first time she had ever heard Eric stumble on his words and get emotional.

"You want to lose your area too, Viking?"

"You don't have that kind of power." He challenged.

"Hey, I'm on T.V. Try me." She smiled smugly.

"It's my fault!" Isabel cried. "I should have contained Stan the second Godric went missing!"

"Isabel." Godric said softly, quietening her. "I remove myself from all positions of authority."

"Works for me." Nan said, looking pleased with herself.

Unable to take anymore, Anamaria forced herself to sit up straighter on the sofa. "Ms Flanagan, I'd like to say something. Godric rescued me from a rapist, who probably would have killed me when he was done-"

"That's nice, moving on." She droned, bored.

Something snapped inside her. How dare that woman talk to everyone like that! "No, listen to me, you bitch!" The room froze, everyone staring at Anamaria. Eric tightened his grasp on her a little, obviously trying to send her a warning. She ignored it. "Not only did he save me, he saved dozens of humans in that Church, plus a whole load of vampires!" She looked to Godric to offer him a smile, but he wasn't reacting to anything she was saying. "You think _this_ is a P.R. disaster? It could have been a thousand times worse! You should be thanking him!" She cried, glaring at the unimpressed vampiress.

"Thanking him? For what? For getting captured?"

She countered, "He went to save the lives of others!"

"For attracting a suicide bomber?"

"He's not responsible for the actions of a fanatic!"

"For piss poor judgement? I don't think so! Northman, control your fangbang-"

Eric lunged for Nan. Isabel managed to come between them, but it was Godric's calm voice that stopped him. "Eric, don't." It took a few seconds for Eric to obey, but he eventually sat down, Anamaria putting her hand on his knee in an attempt to calm him further.

"Tell me about the bombing. Every detail." Nan ordered.

"A boy walked in the lair. I thought he was someone's human companion…"

Godric told the whole story of the bombing, from the moment Luke McDonald had entered the building until the nest members arrived at the hotel after the attack. By the time he had finished, Nan was shaking her head in exasperation.

"What a fucking fiasco! You're lucky I don't send you all to the Magister." Anamaria made a mental note to ask what the Magister was. Probably some sort of vampire prison. "Godric, come to my suite and fill out the necessary forms."

"Soon." Godric nodded. "Before then, I have something to say." Everyone in the room, barring Nan, tensed and waited nervously. "I'm sorry." A stone settled in Anamaria's stomach; this was no ordinary apology, she could tell from the grave look on Godric's face. "I apologise for all the harm I've caused…For all our lost ones," He glanced at Isabel, "Human and vampire. I will make amends. I swear it." He promised. And there it was…Apologies and a promise of restitution. In that moment, she knew what was wrong with Godric, and she had no idea how to fix it.

Her meaningful realisation was cut short by Nan scoffing and standing up. "Don't be so glum, it's just a few signatures." Walking past him to the door, she patted his shoulder casually, not seeing or ignoring the way he tensed up. Godric obviously didn't like people touching him, especially in such an offhand way and definitely not someone like Nan.

Nan and her two guards left the room. The three remaining vampires and Anamaria stood up, Eric rushing to stand before Godric, bending down to bring his face close to his Maker's.

"No." He whispered pleadingly.

"Look in my heart." Godric said back gently.

"You have to listen to me-"

Godric interrupted firmly, "There's nothing to say."

"Yes there is!"

"On the roof." He acquiesced, moving past Eric and leaving the room. The roof? Why would Godric want to go to the roof? Anamaria had a theory; glancing at the clock on the wall, she realised that dawn was only a few minutes away. Godric planned to meet the sun.

Eric looked lost as his Maker walked past him, staring at the floor. Anamaria grabbed his hand. "We have to stop this." She urged, leading him from the room and down the corridor.

Eric broke out of his daze and swept Anamaria into his arms, vamping them up to the roof. Godric was already there, staring out over the Dallas horizon. Eric put Anamaria down, and then walked to his Maker.

"2,000 years is enough."

"I can't accept this. It's insanity!"

"Our very existence is insanity. We don't belong here."

"But we are here!" Eric cried, moving closer to Godric. Anamaria vaguely noted that Godric was dressed all in white, Eric all in black. She shook her head, telling herself to focus.

"It's not right. We're not right." He turned to face Eric.

"You taught me there is no right and wrong, only survival or death."

Godric smiled sadly. "I told a lie, as it turns out."

"I will keep you alive by force!" Eric threatened, looming over Godric.

The shorter vampire looked up at his Child. "Even if you could, why would you be so cruel?"

Eric broke. Anamaria couldn't see his face, but she knew he was crying. His voice cracked as he begged Godric in a language she didn't recognise, falling to his knees. Godric replied with three words, then spoke in English again.

"Let me go."

"I won't let you die alone."

"Yes you will." He said firmly, resting a hand on the back of Eric's neck. "As your Maker, I command you." Even as a human, Anamaria felt the weight of those words in her chest.

Eric stood up, as if on automatic. He lingered for a moment, but then turned around and walked back to Anamaria.

She reached out and took hold of his hand. "I'll stay with him. For as long as it takes." She gave him a hard look, hoping to convey her meaning to him. His nod told her he understood. She wasn't talking about waiting with Godric until he died; she meant she would wait for him to change his mind. She dropped Eric's hand and walked determinedly over to Godric, standing right by his side, slipping her fingers into his and looking at the horizon with him.

He flexed his fingers around hers, but made no move to pull away. "It won't take long, not at my age."

That comment broke her heart a little more than it already was, but she kept her face stoic. "It wasn't very smart, you know, that whole Fellowship thing."

"I know." He conceded. "I thought it might…Fix things. But I don't think like a vampire anymore."

"Not necessarily a bad thing, sweetheart." She said quietly, bumping his shoulder with hers a little.

He turned to her, but she kept her face forward. "Do you believe in God?"

That must be the crux of Godric's turmoil, an existential crisis. Anamaria didn't know how to approach it. Should she say yes, give him the answer he obviously wants? Or should she say no, answer honestly but depress him further?

She shrugged. "I go back and forth."

"How will He punish me?"

"God doesn't punish." She said firmly, looking at him, their faces only inches apart. "God forgives." She didn't necessarily believe that, but it was what the Church preached.

"I don't deserve it. But I hope."

"We all do." On the rare occasion that Anamaria had felt it necessary to pray, she had always prayed for forgiveness for the trouble she'd caused Adele in her teen years.

A beat passed, then he asked, "You'll care for him? Eric."

"I'm not sure." She shrugged again. "You know how he is."

"I can take the blame for that too."

"There's no blame there!" Anamaria insisted. "Eric's pretty much himself." Godric nodded distractedly, and then turned to look at the skyline. Dawn was coming. Needing to keep him focused on her, she squeezed his hand. "Are you afraid?"

"No." He laughed. "I'm full of joy!"

"I'm afraid for you." Anamaria choked on a sob, tears filling her eyes and trickling down her cheeks.

"A human with me at the end. And human tears. 2,000 years and I can still be surprised." Anamaria burst forward, throwing her arms around Godric's neck, holding him close. She knew she could not let him die without at least embracing him just one time. His arms came around her waist, holding her. "In this I see God." She sobbed helplessly into his neck, desperate for him not to leave her, not to leave Eric. But it didn't last.

Anamaria watched as Godric pulled away from her, his own eyes fixed on the sun, which was starting to appear on the horizon.

' _It has to be now.'_ Anamaria's frantic mind raced. _'I have to tell him now. If I don't tell him now…'_

"Godric!" She called to him. He didn't acknowledge her as he stepped towards the sun, unbuttoning his linen shirt. "I've tried to die. Several times." He paused, but didn't turn around. "Do you know why I'm still here today, able to tell you this? It was because of you." She paused when she saw his head turn slightly to her. "I've tried to die three times, and every time you were there to stop me."

"I had never met you before-"

"You were there, Godric!" She insisted. "The first time I tried, I was standing on a building, right at the edge. I was ready to jump. I wanted to. I wanted to die; I wanted everything to be over. Just as I was about to step off the building…I heard you." His head shot around to look at her. "Your voice came from behind me, you were telling me to stop. You told me not to do it, that I had a wonderful future ahead of me, filled with so much love. You took my hand in yours…It felt so real…More real than anything I'd ever felt before…And you pulled me back away from the ledge. But when I turned around, no-one was there. It was like…Like you were my guardian angel, there to protect me when I needed you. You were there when I nearly stepped in front of a train, telling me to turn around and go home. You were there when I slit my wrists, you forced me to shout for help; you were the one who saved my life just as I was on the brink of death. And then in that basement with Gabe…You saved me again. And now I know."

"Know what?" He whispered, smoke starting to rise from his body.

"That we're meant to save each other." She was crying freely, tears rolling down her cheeks. "You saved me then…So that I could save you now." She held out her hand to him. "Please Godric. Let me save you."


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 11**

It happened too quickly for Anamaria to process. One minute she had been on the rooftop with Godric, holding out her hand to him, pleading with him to live. Then a whoosh of air, and suddenly she was pressed up against a wall, Godric's face only an inch from hers.

"Are you lying to me, Miss Santiago?"

"What?" She was too confused to understand his question. As she looked around, she saw that they were back inside the hotel. Godric was safe! But her joy was cut short when he harshly grabbed her chin, forcing her head back to his.

He snarled at her, "When you said that you saw visions of me; were you lying?"

"No!" Godric stared into her eyes for the longest time, his body cold and hard against hers. After several minutes, he stepped back from her. Despite his harsh treatment of her, she immediately grabbed hold of his forearms. "Don't go back there! Don't go back to the roof!" She begged in a whisper.

"No, Miss Santiago. I am not going back to the roof."

She couldn't hold in her sigh of relief. "You're not?"

"No. We must discuss these visions of yours." Just then, a trickle of blood left his ear.

She gasped. "Godric, you're bleeding. You need to rest." Without thinking, she took his hand and started leading him down the corridor to his hotel room. "Wait! Eric! He needs to know; he thinks you're dead!"

She was lifted into Godric's arms and they zoomed through the corridors and down flights of stairs, until they came to Eric's room. Anamaria once again took hold of Godric's hand and led him into the suite. They could hear the soft crackle of a fire, but no other sounds. After Godric closed and locked the door behind them, the two of them headed to the bedroom. Eric was sat on the bed, his back to them, staring into the fire.

"Eric?" Anamaria called out gently, unsure of what to expect.

His head lifted a little, and he spoke. "Godric is gone."

"No, my Child." With that, the ancient vampire reopened the bond between the two of them that had been closed for nearly eighty years, the last time they had seen each other in person, when they had not parted on good terms.

Eric sprang up from the bed and stared at Godric. His face was streaked with bloody tears, the red trails sliding down his neck and chest. "Godric…" He whispered, vamping to his Maker and pulling him into a tight embrace. Godric wrapped his own arms around his Child, his face pressed into the Viking's chest as he inhaled his Progeny's scent. Eric sobbed quietly with relief, fresh tears of joy trickling down his face and into Godric's hair.

Anamaria stood at the side of them, torn between watching the beautiful sight of Maker and Child being reunited after a painful goodbye, and looking away from the intimate moment. She was not a vampire; she couldn't possibly understand the bond the two men shared. But it stirred something in her, deepening her affection for Godric and helping her see Eric in a whole new light.

Eric eventually pulled away, looking into his Maker's face. "How…?"

"Anamaria." He stated simply.

"Ana…" Eric whispered, almost in awe as he turned to the humble Latina. He stepped towards her, cupping her cheeks in his large and cool hands. "Thank you, Anamaria Santiago."

"It was-" She started softly but was cut off by Eric gently pressing his lips to hers. Dear God in Heaven, that man's mouth was amazing. The kiss was wonderful, just the right combination of gentle and firm, making her knees tremble. He held her to him for the longest of times, but didn't seek to deepen the kiss, merely to embrace her, to show his gratitude for her saving his Maker's life.

Godric cleared his throat behind them. "Eric, we must go to ground now." He said firmly, leaving the other vampire no room to argue. Not that Eric would ever argue with his Maker. He dutifully pulled his mouth away from Anamaria, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. Closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers, he thanked her again, almost making her tear up at the overwhelming joy and relief in his voice. She could only clear her throat and nod back at him, blinking away her tears.

"I'll, um, let you guys get some rest." She made to step back from Eric, but a third hand landed between her shoulder-blades.

Godric had vamped behind her to stop her exit. "Stay, Miss Santiago. If you would." Again, his voice was firm, leaving no room for arguments or debate. Anamaria nodded again and went with the two vampires to the huge bed. She slipped off her shoes and nervously climbed up, resting her head on the plush pillows. Eric came in behind her, spooning her tightly, nuzzling the back of her head. Godric lay on his side in front of her, resting one of his hands on hers. "Good morning, Anamaria." He said gently, closing his eyes and dying for the day. Eric's body stiffened behind her, signalling the start of his own rest.

Just as Anamaria slipped into sleep, she couldn't help but notice how right everything felt when she was between the two of them, like nothing else in the world mattered. The three of them, together.

!"!

 _Anamaria tossed and turned in the bed, unable to settle down for sleep. She'd taken off her shoes before she'd lain down with Eric and Godric but her jeans felt too tight around her hips. Unfortunately, she had to keep them on, knowing it would be a bad idea to take them off – God knows what could happen if Eric woke up behind her and found she had stripped her bottom half! She rolled over again, trying to make herself comfortable._

 _A fingertip tickled her bare shoulder – when had she taken her top off? – and prompted her to roll over. Sliding her naked body across the golden silk sheets, she turned onto her right side and faced Eric, who was equally naked and as beautiful as sin. He smiled at her, taking hold of her hand, entwining their fingers._

" _Finish your sentence."_

" _What was I saying?" She giggled. Their lovemaking always made her so forgetful after they finished._

" _You were telling me why you'd be a terrible vampire and I was disagreeing."_

" _Well, I don't feel right without a tan." She joked; he laughed. "It's true! And I'd rather be alive than undead. And you guys are always killing."_

" _Oh, and you'd never kill a man?"_

" _Maybe in self-defence, or to protect someone I loved, but not just for lunch."_

 _Eric hummed thoughtfully, kissing the back of her hand. "You'd adapt, like we all do. Trade the sun for the moon and stars."_

" _Nuh-uh," She smiled, "Not me, I want everything."_

" _You greedy girl!" He chuckled, letting go of her hand to skim his fingers down her side. She twitched as he tickled her ribs, inching her body closer to his._

" _That surprises you?" She joked, reaching down to cup his wonderful bum._

" _You are the one person who will always surprise me, Anamaria. I love it." He brought his mouth to hers, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. Just as she wanted to deepen it, he pulled away, licking his lips. He became serious for a minute. "You have the right temperament for a vampire."_

" _What, I'm high-maintenance, bloodthirsty and old as dirt?"_

" _Bloodthirsty, yeah."_

 _She playfully pushed at his chest. "I am not!"_

 _They chuckled together, Eric pulling her left thigh over his hip, stroking the pattern on her skin. "Everyone thinks you're such a darling, don't they? The curvy Latina with the multi-coloured hair?"_

" _I am a darling, thank you very much."_

" _But you're ruthless when it comes to the people that you love. You'd do anything for them. Adele, your brother, your friends…Me."_

" _What about me?" A hand came from behind Anamaria and slid over her chest, cupping her breast and squeezing gently._

 _Anamaria turned her head and shifted a little on the bed, moving to lay on her back but keeping her leg over Eric's hip. "Godric, if you even need to ask me that-" She started playfully, but broke off with a moan when he squeezed and tugged her nipple. She could never control herself when Godric's talented fingers went to work on her body._

" _I know you love me, darling; I just wanted to hear you moan." He smirked, kissing her shoulder, his fingers skating over the skin above her left breast. "I keep forgetting to ask; why don't you have anything here?"_

 _Anamaria moaned as Eric started kissing her neck and grinding his hips into her core. "I was waiting for you two."_

 _Godric hummed thoughtfully. "So it's down to us, is it?"_

 _She nodded, cupping his cheek and stroking her thumb along his cheekbone. "Whatever you two decide, within reason." She added when she felt Eric smirk against her skin._

" _No 'Godric's girl'?" The older vampire asked, lifting her left thigh off Eric's hip and spreading her legs wide for him._

 _Eric took hold of her right ankle and pulling her leg all the way up her body, knowing that her dance classes allowed for maximum contortion. With her leg stretched all the way up, he rested his cheek against her ankle, gently running his human teeth against the joint. She gasped, her core clenching as it became drenched with her own fluids. He teased, "How about 'Viking's vagina'?"_

" _Eric!" Anamaria cried out at his suggestion, but Godric landing a harsh slap directly over her clit silenced another further protest. Fortunately for everyone, the three of them had discovered that slightly harsher treatment of her button gave her almost instantaneous orgasms. That was no exception; she moaned loudly and her pussy leaked even more juices. She tried to move her hips, but Godric's and Eric's hands stopped any movement in its tracks._

" _Hush, darling." His voice was gentle but they all knew it was an order, and they all knew she would obey; for all her attitude and moxy, Anamaria was quite submissive when Godric was in the bed, less so with Eric as the Viking loved to be conquered. He had even allowed Anamaria to tie him up on a few occasions._

 _As Godric began to plant kisses leading down towards her core, Eric nipped her earlobe, sucking it into his mouth. "This is the beginning." He promised, running his hand over her breasts._

" _It's already begun." Godric spoke, just as he dove into Anamaria's pussy._

!"!

Anamaria shot up in bed, covered in sweat as her heart raced and she gasped for breath. That had been the most intense dream she had ever had, and definitely the most pleasurable. Looking around her, she saw that both Eric and Godric were still sleeping, in the exact same position they had fallen asleep in. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was just after eleven; she'd only had a few hours of sleep but she couldn't stay in between the two vampires who had just fed her fantasy. She needed a shower, preferably one with a detachable nozzle.

She awkwardly slipped down the centre of the bed, trying to both ignore how soaked her panties were and not to jostle the two vampires; that hadn't ended pleasantly last time. When she was off the bed and on her feet, she turned to look at them again. They were so beautiful, even when Eric's face and chest was still covered with dried blood from his earlier tears.

Anamaria slipped through the door connecting her suite to Eric's, closing it behind her. Pulling her phone out of her back pocket, she flicked through her contacts until she found the name she needed. She waited impatiently for the person on the other end to answer the phone.

" _Hey babe._ " Her friend Danny seemed to be in a good mood. Good.

"Are you in your editing suite?" She asked without preamble, opening her own laptop on the bed.

" _Yeah, why?_ "

"We need to do this quickly; I've got a vampiress to humiliate."


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 12**

Anamaria kept herself busy with social media for the rest of the day and early evening, waiting for the confrontation she knew was bound to happen. Just after sunset, Godric had knocked on her door but she had just called back that she wanted some time alone. Truth be told, she was still a little embarrassed over her dream from earlier. After their brief interaction, both he and Eric left her alone, allowing her to monitor the social websites. Her plan was working.

An hour after sundown, there was shouting coming from Eric's suite; a woman was screeching at Eric and Godric to 'tell her where the girl is'. A minute or two passed, then there was a polite knock on the door.

"Come in." Anamaria called out cheerfully, though on the inside, she was shaking. The door all but burst off the hinges and Nan Flanagan stormed into the room, a face like thunder. Eric and Godric followed her. "Ms Flanagan, how nice to see you again. What can I do for you?"

Saying nothing, the vampire picked up the T.V. remote and turned it on, flicking through the channels until it came to a news programme. The presenters were discussing a viral video that was spreading around the country, apparently stirring up debates on human-vampire relations.

"What the fuck is this?" The blonde woman snarled, pointing to the T.V. just as the newscasters announced that they were going to show the video in its entirety. The video started.

Anamaria's face appeared on the television screen. She wore no make-up, and there was a clear bruise on her cheekbone. She was seated at a desk; the painting in the background matched the one on the hotel room's wall. She must have recorded the video earlier that morning in the hotel room.

' _My name is Anamaria Santiago. I'm twenty-two years old, and a college student from Louisiana. And I was held prisoner by Steve Newlin and the Fellowship of the Sun for over twenty-four hours. Why? Because I don't agree with them.'_

In the room, Anamaria hummed falsely. "Well it appears to be a video."

"I fucking know that!" Nan hissed. "Why-"

"Shhh, I'm talking." Anamaria smiled, pointing to the television.

' _I went to the Fellowship of the Sun's church in Dallas because I'd heard rumours that the Church had abducted a vampire. I wanted to see if those rumours were true. I admit that I did not truthfully represent myself when I arrived. I met with Steve and Sarah Newlin, who seemed to be very friendly and welcoming. However, when they realised that I was not who I claimed to be, I was attacked,'_ She gestured to the bruise on her face, _'And knocked unconscious. When I woke up, I was locked in the basement underneath the Church. There was no food, no water, no sign of anyone nearby. I was not given medical attention, I was not offered a phone call; a supposed Christian Church was illegally detaining me, against my will._

' _The following morning, Steve Newlin and his strongman Gabe came to see me in the basement. They gave me some food and a bottle of water, but refused to let me leave until I 'answered their questions','_ She made inverted commas with her fingers, _'When I refused to do so, invoking my Fifth Amendment right, they left again, still not stating when – or even_ if _– I would ever be allowed to leave. Later that night, Gabe came down to the basement alone. He attacked me again and he tried to rape me. And the only reason I'm alive to talk about this today is because a vampire saved me. And if you don't believe me, I got it all on film.'_

The television switched from Anamaria's face to a candid video of Steve and Sarah Newlin. The Reverend was trying to convince the person behind the camera – who was clearly Anamaria – to go down into the basement of the Church. Anamaria's scared voice could be heard from behind the camera, then Steve Newlin lunged for her. The camera shook as a struggle ensued, screams and shouts could be heard. The candid clips lasted for a minute or so, all extracts being mainly of Steve Newlin spouting hateful phrases. _'You evil whore of Satan'; 'we are prepared for Armageddon'; 'Maybe we should tie her to you and let you meet the sun together, I bet this little bitch would roast up nicely'._

The video ended and cut back to the newsroom where the presenters began to discuss the clips. They were all in agreement that the video seemed genuine and that the Fellowship of the Sun might not be the innocent Church that the Newlins claimed it to be. Anamaria couldn't keep the smug smile off her face as Nan turned the T.V. off and then glared at the Latina.

"What the fuck…Do you have any idea how much…" The vampiress trailed off, simply too stunned and too pissed off to speak.

Anamaria grinned again. "You're welcome."

Snapping out of her shock, Nan threw the remote control at the T.V., shattering the flat-screen as she rounded on Anamaria. "Listen here, you little-"

"Ms Flanagan, while I respect your position of authority in this room," Godric started politely but his eyes quickly darkened, "Seeing as you are the youngest vampire in this room by more than a century, mind how you speak to my Child's human."

"Who just beat you at your own job." Anamaria added on under her breath.

"What?" The blonde vampire snarled, only just keeping control of her fangs.

Anamaria cleared her throat delicately, tucking her hands into her jeans' pockets, then took a daring step closer to Nan. "I said, I just beat you at your own fucking job!"

Nan's fangs came down; she growled and launched herself at Anamaria. She never even made contact before Godric and Eric came between them. Godric caught Nan by the back of her neck, and Eric stood in front of Anamaria. Eric had his fangs out, whereas Godric kept himself composed as he held the clawing vampire like a calm parent would a tantruming toddler.

Anamaria fetched her laptop off the bed and clicked through her open windows. Pulling up the desired tab, she moved around Eric and placed the computer on the desk in the room. "Look at this." She pointed to the screen. "I released that video eight hours ago. Since then, it's had more than a million views, 10,000 Shares and Likes, and is on every social media site. Not one of your interviews has ever gained that much attention in so little time."

"You little-"

"Miss Santiago is right, Ms Flanagan." Eric said smugly as he looked over the page on the computer screen. "She's even got analysis from various sources about why your interviews might not be doing much good, and even experts' suggestions on how you could improve." His grin was contagious; even Godric's mouth was lifting a little.

"That was what I wanted to talk to you about yesterday before you cut me off so rudely." Anamaria raised her eyebrow in challenge to the other woman. "So I decided to just do your job for you. Wasn't as hard as you make it out to be."

"Little one," Godric chided gently, finally releasing Nan and walking over to stand by Anamaria's side, "It is not polite to boast so gleefully." The human pouted playfully. "And Ms Flanagan, I believe it would be appropriate for you to thank Miss Santiago, if not for 'doing your job for you' and gaining more sympathy for the VRA, than for at least exposing the Fellowship of the Sun. It should hopefully be easier to take them down now that their leader has been outed as a hateful bigot who condones the murder of humans."

The vampiress glared at Anamaria for a few seconds, but then stood up straighter. "Thank you." She grumbled, sounding as though it were physically painful for her to say the words.

"You're welcome."

"But the Authority _will_ hear about this."

"As if it hasn't already." Eric quipped sarcastically as he continued reading over Anamaria's notes on her laptop.

"Eric." Godric scolded. "I'll see you out, Ms Flanagan." The older vampire escorted the woman from their rooms.

Eric stepped in front of Anamaria and regarded her closely. The Latina waited for him to speak. "What?"

He smirked. "I was just contemplating the angle of the camera you were wearing. It seemed to come from…" He trailed a fingertip down the middle of her chest, coming to rest over the middle of her bra. "You were wearing a dress with buttons that day. Could it be that…?"

"If you're asking if I was wearing a boob-cam then, yes I was. And a microphone too."

"How does a bartender-slash-student access such technology?"

"Danny." She shrugged in answer.

Eric's eyes darkened and he pulled Anamaria against his body. "I think it's time for you to explain this Danny to me." He growled lowly.

"Why, jealous?" She teased, but stopped when his growls intensified.

"Now would not be the time to taunt Eric, little one." Godric re-joined them, closing the door connecting the two hotel rooms. "Eric has always been the jealous type, and hearing his human talk about another man will not sit well with him." He explained.

Anamaria rolled her eyes at Eric's attitude. "Danny's a friend from college. That's it. He's studying Communications Technology, and is – what you call – a whiz kid. He has loads of gadgets-"

"Like boob-cams?" Eric pouted.

"Danny has never seen my boobs or even me in a bra. Unlike some." Anamaria snapped, glaring at the tall vampire. He just smirked, pleased with himself. "Plus he's gay. I brought the camera and microphone with me because I had a feeling it might be useful to know how someone managed to kidnap a vampire. That was before we realised that you'd gone with them willingly." She turned her glare to Godric. "Anyway, the video and audio was streamed straight to his computer, and he helped me create the video, and then he released it through an anonymous server. Easy peasy."

"Easy peasy." Eric said to himself, almost as if he were testing out the phrase.

"You've done our kind a service, little one. You've taken a risk creating that video, particularly by announcing your name and where you live." He sounded disapproving.

"By including my name, my student status and my hometown, people will be able to know I'm a real person. And if something happens to me – God forbid – the world will know it was because of vampire haters. So even if I die or get beaten up or whatever, the V.R.A. gets more sympathy."

Both vampires were struck by her selflessness. "You just said that you didn't care if you were potentially killed, because the vampire world would benefit from it. Are you always this selfless?" Godric asked.

"I wasn't last night." She admitted.

"How so?"

"After you fed from me and I asked for your blood. I did that for selfish reasons."

"Explain."

"I'd hoped that maybe if I drank your blood, you might start to feel whatever connection I have with you."

Eric chuckled. "That was surprisingly manipulative of you, _älskling_."

"Well it didn't work, did it?" She paused for a moment, remembering the shame and rejection she had felt when Godric had denied her his blood. "Godric, why _did_ you refuse to give me your blood?"

Godric tucked his hands into the pockets of his linen trousers and looked briefly down at the floor. "Anamaria, are you aware of what exactly happens when a human drinks a vampire's blood?"

"Not particularly."

Godric looked to Eric disapprovingly. "Somehow it doesn't surprise me that Eric would not have informed you on such matters. No doubt he felt it would colour your opinion of taking his blood again in the future."

That alarmed Anamaria. "Why? What happened when I drank his blood?"

"Are you aware of the side-effects of vampire blood?"

"A little. It helps humans feel better and healthier."

"It's much more than that. When a human drinks directly from a vampire, an irrevocable bond is formed between them. The vampire will always be able to locate the human; will sense if they're in danger; can even influence their emotions at times; and, of course, there are the dreams-"

"Dreams?" Anamaria squeaked. "What kind of dreams?"

"Depending on the context in which the blood is ingested, the dreams are normally of a sexual nature and incredibly vivid."

The young woman stared at Godric in disbelief, feeling oddly humiliated at the knowledge that it was Eric's blood that had been causing her many dreams, and – given Godric's other information – Eric knew how she felt about those dreams, and after them when she had furiously sated the desire the images had stirred deep within her.

Either not caring about her anxiety or not noticing it, Godric carried on. "And given the strong bond that it formed, I did not want to create a bond with you when I believed I was going to my death shortly after; I did not see the point. I knew that either Eric would give you his blood again, or you would be able to carry on without it, given that your injuries were not life-threatening. It was not personal, I assure you."

Anamaria recovered slightly and cleared her throat. "It felt personal. Even after you pretty much told me that you obviously don't return the feelings I have for you." She felt a deep stab of jealous in her stomach, wondering where it had come from. But as she looked up into Eric's face, she realised that the emotion had come from him.

"And just what feelings do you have for my Maker?"

"I love him." She admitted immediately and openly. She had long since come to terms with how she felt towards her Angel, the kindly spirit who had saved her life so many times, and whose words of love she called upon whenever she had felt low.

"How?" Eric demanded. "You had never met him before a few nights ago."

"Sit down, Eric." Godric ordered softly. "The three of us have a lot to talk about."


	13. Chapter 13

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 13**

"And just what feelings do you have for my Maker?"

"I love him." She admitted immediately and openly. She had long since come to terms with how she felt towards her Angel, the kindly spirit who had saved her life so many times, and whose words of love she called upon whenever she had felt low.

"How?" Eric demanded. "You had never met him before a few nights ago."

"Sit down, Eric." Godric ordered softly. "The three of us have a lot to talk about."

Anamaria headed over to the sofa on the other side of the hotel room, settling herself in for what was sure to be a difficult conversation. The Viking sulked into one of the armchairs opposite Anamaria, with Godric sitting in the other. The three of them lapsed into silence for a minute or so before Eric sighed loudly, an exaggerated action given that he didn't need to breathe.

"What is this about then?" He looked to Anamaria. "Are you going to tell us how you seem to know Godric?"

"I've told him everything I know." She shrugged.

Godric spoke softly, "Not necessarily, little one."

"No, I have! I swear, I don't know anything more than what I've told you."

"Well why don't you say it again, for those of us who weren't present on the roof this morning?" Eric snapped testily. Godric snapped his name at him, followed by an unknown language. The younger – but still old – vampire shifted and plastered a smile on his face. "Anamaria, won't you please repeat what you said to Godric on the roof earlier today?"

She blinked. "You sound weird like that, don't talk that way."

Eric chuckled. "See, Godric; she likes it a little rough." He teased with a wink.

"How would you know?" Anamaria taunted back at him with a raised eyebrow that could put Pam to shame.

Eric just chuckled again, crossing his legs in the armchair. "I will soon enough." He glanced to Godric. "Maybe we both will."

Anamaria shifted nervously, remembering her dream from that morning involving both the vampires sitting in front of her. "Do you want this explanation or not?" When the blond vampire said nothing, she took in a deep breath. "As I said to Godric, I've had visions of him since I was fourteen." Eric immediately perked up. "The first one happened when I was fourteen, I was about to step off a building when I heard this voice behind me. I didn't see who it came from, but the voice – the boy – told me not to do it. Then he took my hand from behind and gently pulled me away from the edge. When I turned around, there was no-one there. At first I brushed it off; I thought maybe my mind had just played a trick on me or something. Then when I was fifteen, I was going to jump in front of a train. As the train was coming down the tracks, the same voice from before came from behind me again, telling me not to do it, to go home. When I realised it was the same voice from the first time, I just went with it, and headed home. But, again, when I turned around, there was no-one there. I just figured, 'hey, maybe I have one hell of a survival instinct'." She paused.

Eric's eyebrow lifted. "But…?"

"I started having dreams. About Godric." She looked at said vampire, who was sitting impassively in the chair. "And before you get your hopes up, Eric, not those kind of dreams. They came later." She added with a blush.

"What happened in these dreams, Anamaria?" Godric asked neutrally, his hands folded in his lap. She was vaguely jealous of how elegant and sophisticated he looked in his pressed and creaseless linen trousers and shirt, his beautiful carved face holding no emotion.

"Nothing much. They were more like visions, kind of fleeting images. Sometimes you were in some sort of tribe, hunting animals with a group of men. Others you were in fancy clothing in a huge ballroom. Once you were a soldier of some kind. They never made much sense, which is why I wrote them all down."

Both vampires picked up. "You wrote down these dreams?"

"And sketched them, what I remembered of you. How you looked, how you dressed, any clues to your location."

"Do you still have these dreams?"

She fidgeted nervously. "No, those dreams stopped a few years ago. Then the, uh, the _other_ dreams started after that." She scratched the back of her head awkwardly as Godric remained stoic. Why was he not reacting at all to any of this?

"And what did you think of these dreams when they were still happening?"

"Honestly, I thought maybe you were some kind of lost soul trying to pass on a message." She shrugged. Eric snorted. "Hey! What else was I supposed to think?"

"What did you do with these sketches?" Godric asked, interrupting Eric's sarcastic comment.

"I keep them all in a box at home. I mean, I was never just going to throw them away."

For the first time, a frown marred Godric's face. "Why not?"

Anamaria blinked in confusion. Was he really asking why she wanted to keep sketches of him? Had he not been listening to anything she had just said? "Because they're of you."

The old vampire's eyes closed and he rubbed the bridge of his nose between his eyes. "Anamaria, you don't know me."

"Have you not been listening-!"

"Anamaria, you don't know the monster I have been for the past 2,000 years." Eric visibly winced when Godric described himself as a monster.

"Godric, _seriously_ , have you not been listening to me?" She snapped, standing up. "I just told you I've had dreams of you for years; I've seen things from your past-"

He interrupted her, "Miss Santiago, dreams are hardly-"

She interrupted his interruption, "I know what your tattoos mean." Both vampires paused. "I know how many you have, I know where they are, I know what they mean. Even the one on your left arm. I know that you come from the old region of Gaul, sometime in the first century B.C.; I know you were alive during a Roman invasion and your tribe was enslaved. I know that your new Master beat and tortured you for several years before Turning you into a Vampire. I know how he died. I know-"

Before she could speak another word, she was suddenly pulled into an unforgiving chokehold, one arm wrapped tightly around her neck with a hand pressing against the back of her head, keeping her in an uncomfortable – and even painful – position. She grabbed the arm in front of her in reflex, but froze when she saw that Eric was still in front of her, now standing on alert. It was Godric who had her in the hold.

"There was a time, not too long ago, when I would not have hesitated to snap you like a twig, Miss Santiago." He whispered in her ear.

Even given the potential deadliness of her situation, she still spoke. "But you won't."

"What makes you say that? How do you know?" He snarled.

"Because I just do. You won't do it." His grip tightened slightly. "Godric, you may not like it but I know you better than you think I do! You're not going to hurt me. You're just doing this now to make a stupid point."

"I'm hurting you right now." He insisted calmly.

Eric spoke up for the first time in minutes, speaking quietly and – almost – nervously, "Godric-"

"Be quiet, Eric." The Gaul ordered. "I've done horrific things, Miss Santiago; you cannot even imagine some of the horrors I've committed."

"But you changed." She explained. "Something changed for you, didn't it?" His grip loosened a little. "What was it? What made you change?" He didn't answer. "When, then? When did it happen? I think it happened sometime in the 90's." His grip slackened even more. "Yeah? Am I right? Sometime after '93? You know what happened in '93? I was born then! I think that's what changed you!"

He tightened his grip again. "How could your birth have changed me? I didn't know you'd been born!"

"How could I have dreams of you, of your life? Who knows! It is what it is, Godric."

"Godric, she needs to breathe." Eric pleaded, his stance nervous.

In anger, his fangs slid out as he shouted at his Child, "I said be quiet, Eric!" He looked back to Anamaria. "Very well," He snarled, "If you know so much, what _do_ my tattoos mean? Prove to me why I shouldn't just drain you dry, delusional tiny human."

She answered without hesitation. "You've got a sigil burnt into your right shoulder-blade; a snake down your spine; the waves on your right arm are a water symbol; the collar around your neck is for protection; and the characters on your left arm are a message to the Gods."

The next few seconds passed agonisingly slowly, until Godric released Anamaria and pushed her away. Eric vamped over to her, holding her up as she coughed and choked as she regained her ability to breathe freely.

"Godric, why did you-"

"He wanted to scare me." Anamaria explained to Eric as she took slow deep breaths and rubbed her sore throat. "To see if I was lying or something." She looked up at the vampire who had sheathed his fangs. "That about right?"

"Yes, Miss Santiago."

"And?"

"You are not lying." He concluded. "And you were right, about when the change in me occurred. I believe it _was_ your birth that led to my transformation."

"So what now? Do you know why that happened? And why I've been having dreams of you?"

"I have a theory." He nodded. "But first we must continue this discussion, regarding Eric this time." He sat down in the armchair he had previously occupied, waiting for the two other people who seemed to be in shock at Godric's sudden attitude changes, going from calm to murderous and back again.

"Has Godric always been this mercurial?" Anamaria asked, her voice slightly raspy after her almost-strangulation.

Eric escorted Anamaria to the sofa and sat down next to her, grumbling, "I've never described him as so, no."

"Hmmm, must be me then."

Godric gave a half-smile in spite of himself, then continued. "Anamaria, when was the first time you saw Eric?"

"When I went to Fangtasia that night. There've been a few murders in town and the cops don't have much of an idea about who's responsible. Both the girls had had sex with vampires so I went to Fangtasia to look around."

"And that was the first time you'd ever seen Eric? Either in person or in a dream or vision?"

"Yeah. I'd never seen Eric before I actually met him."

Godric was nodding along to her answers. "And what was your first impression of him?"

"Smug sarcastic ass." She replied without hesitation and with a straight face. The mentioned vampire looked at her, seemingly offended, but she just shrugged. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"How did you _feel_ when you first met him?" His tone led Anamaria to believe that he already had an idea about how she felt.

She shifted, suddenly aware that Eric was sitting right next to her, his arm around her waist. Knowing she had to be honest, she said, "Like I'd been missing him my whole life. He called me up to the stage, where he sat in that ridiculous throne, and as I was walking up to him, it just…It felt like something in me was reaching out to him. Like a call, or a yearning."

"Yearning? I'm flattered, little one." He smirked smugly.

"Eric." Godric chided. "How did you feel, Child, when you first saw Anamaria?" The younger vampire didn't answer, picking lint off his shirt. "The same?" Eric's lack of response obviously answered Godric's question. "Eric told me that another vampire, a Bill Compton, attempted to Claim you that night." Anamaria nodded grimly. "What did you feel when that happened?"

"Revulsion. And it felt wrong, like I was never meant to be his."

"That's because you're not, little one." Godric explained. "Eric also told me that he has Claimed you for himself. You are His now, yes?"

She sulked. "I suppose."

"And for you, that feels…?"

"Right." She whispered with a firm nod. "I mean, I hate the idea of belonging to someone, being seen as a possession rather than a person, but…" She thought hard for a moment, "When he was feeding on me, everything else just faded away; there was only me and Eric, nothing else mattered. I think I'm supposed to be Eric's."

"You are, Anamaria." There was a heavy pause between the three of them as Godric waited a moment. "And mine." Anamaria and Eric looked at him in both shock and realisation. "It would explain the visions you had of me, why I changed around the time of your birth, why we feel so comfortable around each other-"

"You feel comfortable around me?" Anamaria asked giddily, unable to stop herself from interrupting him.

A soft smile spread across his beautiful mouth. "Of course, little one; I would never have allowed you to touch me as you have done if I didn't feel so at ease with you." A huge grin split her face as her cheeks flushed with happiness, nervously ducking her head down.

"So what does this all mean, Godric?" Eric asked.

"It means, Child, that the three of us are Mates."


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 14**

 _Anamaria hid her sobs as best she could. Jason and Adele were just downstairs, arguing about some girl Jason was dating, the 'white trash with a bad attitude'. She hated that they were in the house; she had wanted to do this alone, but the two Stackhouses hadn't left the house all day, and Anamaria couldn't wait any longer. Turning away from her pathetic reflection in the mirror, she looked at the bathtub. Adele had cleaned it that morning. Such a shame…Unable to hold back a hard sob that shook her whole body, Anamaria stumbled over to the tub, hesitating for a second._

' _No, I'm going to do this.' She lifted a leg and stepped into the bath. 'I won't miss this town.' She lifted her other leg into the tub. 'I won't miss this house.' She reclined back, resting her head against the porcelain rim of the tub. 'I won't miss Adele, or Jason, or Tara, or Lafayette. I won't miss anyone or anything.' But even as she thought the harsh words, she knew in her heart that they weren't true. In the corner of her eye, she saw the razor. 'I can't do this anymore. I can't. I won't. I shouldn't have to.' Closing her eyes, she reached out and took hold of the cold plastic handle._

' _ **Anamaria.'**_

 _It was his voice again. She ignored him, pressing the cold metal against her left wrist._

' _ **Anamaria, no.'**_

 _With only a pained gasp, she jerked the razor down her skin, cutting through the soft flesh with ease._

' _ **Anamaria, stop. Now.'**_

 _Ignoring him again, she switched hands and cut her other wrist, fighting to contain the second sound of pain. She let quiet sobs escape her as she placed the razor back onto the shelf next to the tub, blood staining the white porcelain red. 'This is good. This is right. This is what should happen.'_

' _ **No, Anamaria. This should not happen. Call for help.'**_

 _She felt eyes on her. "No." She whispered aloud, squeezing her eyes shut. "I'm doing this. This is my choice."_

' _ **This is not a choice. This is weakness. You are strong, much stronger than this.'**_

 _She shook her head, starting to feel dizzy as she felt her jeans becoming wetter and hotter from the blood pouring from her wrists. "No. I don't want to be strong. I want it to end."_

' _ **Call for help, Anamaria.'**_ _He ordered firmly._

" _No. I won't." She replied just as firmly, breathing deeply in a poor effort to calm herself._

' _ **Anamaria, do as I say. Call for help.'**_

" _No."_

' _ **Anamaria, do it now.'**_

" _No. No. No." She chanted, now sobbing to herself as her body flooded with emotion. Sadness, at her life ending. Joy, for the same reason. Regret at leaving Adele and Jason and her friends. Anger at her Angel; why couldn't he just leave her alone? Surely, there were other people who needed an Angel more than she did._

' _ **Anamaria!'**_ _He shouted at her, her ears ringing with it. It was the first time he had ever raised his voice to her, and it made her open her eyes. Blood loss had obviously already set in, as she saw him before her. He looked just like she had always imagined him; a young boy, maybe eighteen, dressed all in white. His eyes were the brightest blue she had ever seen, and filled with so much love and kindness, it made her weep fresh tears._ _ **'Call for help.'**_ _His mouth moved, but his voice did not echo through the room, only inside her head. He lunged forward and grabbed her shoulders, shaking them._ _ **'Now!'**_

" _Help!" Anamaria screamed, her voice hoarse with tears and fear. She was not afraid of him; she knew he would not harm her. It was the fear in his eyes, fear at the thought of her death that had made her call out. She didn't think even Adele had ever looked at her with that much love in her eyes. This boy, this Angel, cared for her so much that he looked tortured at the idea of her death. A deep wave of an indescribable emotion compelled her to shout again. "Help! Help me!" She sobbed, staring into his eyes as she begged and pleaded for help. "Help me, please!"_

 _She heard Jason call to her from downstairs. "Ana? Ana, what's wrong?" But she hardly heard him._

 _The intense connection between her eyes and her Angel's could not be broken. "Please help! Help me!" She cried over and over again, tears pouring down her face as her Angel's face softened, a small smile on his face._

' _ **Good, Anamaria.'**_ _His voice returned to its usual softness and soothing quality, even as Anamaria continued to cry and beg for assistance. Jason was pounding on the bathroom door, calling for Anamaria to open it. But as her Angel's hands moved from her shoulders up to her face, cupping her cheeks in-between his cool and soft hands, she could only stare back into his eyes._ _ **'Listen to me, Anamaria. You will never do anything like this again. You will never again attempt to harm yourself, or allow yourself to be harmed. I will protect you when we meet, but until then, you must be brave and strong. Will you do that, Anamaria?'**_ _His loving voice made her nod, her eyes never wavering from his, even as the bathroom door shook as Jason started to break it down._ _ **'Good.'**_ _Her Angel leant forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, her eyes closing in bliss._

!"!

Anamaria jolted awake with a scream, the horror of her memory terrifying her and making her heart race. It had been a long time since she had even thought of her past troubles; it had been even longer since her last nightmare. Why was she getting one now? As she put her head in her hands and wept, footsteps padded across the landing outside her room.

There was a soft knock on her bedroom door. "Ana? Ana, are you alright?" She sat up in bed and called out for Adele to come in. The elderly woman opened her bedroom door and popped her head through the gap. "Are you alright, dear?" Anamaria put her bedside lamp on, showing Adele her tear-stained face. "Oh, sweetheart…" Adele gushed sympathetically, walking over to her granddaughter and sitting on the side of her bed. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Anamaria nodded, sniffling. "Reliving when I cut my wrists." Both women winced at the horrible memory. Adele would never forget the sights and sounds of that day, seeing Jason carrying a bleeding Anamaria downstairs, blood pouring from the girl's wrists as she wept and sobbed. Jason had put Anamaria on the sofa in the living room then ran back upstairs to fetch towels as Adele held Anamaria's arms above her head, the girl constantly apologising as the two people who loved her most in the world saved her life after she had tried to end it. It was then that Anamaria had told Adele all about her visions of Godric, the Angel who had saved her life three times.

"What made you think of that now?"

"In Dallas, when Godric, Eric and I were talking, I told them everything. I guess it's just been on my mind lately." Anamaria shrugged, reaching out with a shaking hand and picking up the glass of water on her bedside table.

"Yes…You never told me how that conversation turned out…" Adele remarked, stroking her granddaughter's trembling hand.

"There was a lot to talk about." She laughed nervously as she sipped her water.

"Did Godric believe you?"

She nodded. "He did. And he thinks he knows why the visions happened." Adele waited patiently for Anamaria to gather the courage to say the words she daren't let herself believe. "He think we're Mates."

"Mates? What on earth is that?"

"I guess it's like soul mates, like we're destined to be together. He says that he wasn't a very nice person in the past, but that changed after I was born; then when I told him I'd had visions of him where he saved my life and kept me safe, he thinks this Mates thing is the reason. Then he asked about Eric, about how he and I felt when we first met each other. He says that's more proof that the three of us are all Mates."

Adele paused. "The three of you? Together?"

"That's what Godric said. Apparently it's not uncommon in the vampire world for two or more vampires to…" She hesitated, not wanting to be rude in front of Adele, "Share one human. But it wouldn't be bad," She reassured the older woman, "He says that the title of 'Mates' is really rare among vampires, and it'll bring respect and admiration, or whatever."

Adele didn't seem convinced but gave a thoughtful nod. "And how do you feel about it?"

Anamaria shifted, adjusting the covers over her legs. "It's complicated. Everything about this is complicated."

"Well, do you think it's a good thing or a bad thing?"

"The word I keep using with Godric and Eric is 'right'. It feels right. I mean, it's weird and complicated and feels a little rushed, but it feels _right_."

"And do they make you happy?"

Anamaria smiled. "Too soon to tell – we haven't had much of a chance to get to know each other yet."

Adele hummed. "Well, don't wait too long before bringing them 'round here. I want to give Mr Northman a piece of my mind after the worry I was put through when you were in Dallas, and I've waited over five years to meet this Angel of yours." They shared a chuckle, and then Adele stood up. She kissed Anamaria on the forehead, turning the younger woman's lamp off. "Try and get some sleep. Everything'll be fine in the morning."

!"!

Anamaria arrived for her first shift back at Merlotte's after her Dallas adventure. She walked confidently through the bar, her head held high as she felt peoples' eyes on her, their thoughts slipping through her mental shields. They were all judgemental, wondering why she would publicly defend vampires so ardently, even putting her face and name on the internet forever. Sam was counting receipts behind the bar when she walked past, his footsteps following her into his office where the staff left their belongings during their shifts.

Anamaria ignored Sam as she took her green pinny out of her bag, tying it around her waist as the door to the office closed. The heels of Sam's boots clunked around in the wooden floor as he shifted nervously.

"Something you want to say, Sam?" She asked, collecting her pens and notepad from the shelf with her name on it.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He burst out. "You went to Dallas to find some vampire? With Eric Northman!"

"Yeah I did." She answered simply, turning and looking at him. "Problem?"

"Why did you even go?"

"You just said it yourself – to find a vampire who had gone missing."

"What, the great Eric Northman couldn't find the vamp himself?" He scoffed.

Anamaria folded her arms, not pleased with how her boss and former lover was talking about Eric, her Mate. Although no-one else knew that piece of information yet. "You got a problem with Eric, Sam?"

"Hell yeah I got a problem with him! He's manipulative, a liar-"

"And a vampire. Admit it, you wouldn't be this upset if he were human. Or is it just because now I've got someone else to play with?" She taunted him with their history. It hadn't been a relationship – they'd had one official date at a small restaurant out of town and then Anamaria had taken Sam back to the house and had one night of – admittedly – very good sex, before she'd acted like it hadn't happened. Sam went to interrupt her but she held up a finger and carried on. "This discussion is over. I'm back now, and I have work to do. Unless I'm fired." She didn't wait for his response before leaving his office and heading out front – there was no way Sam would ever fire her, he was too in love with her to do that.

Her shift dragged, especially with having to listen to the whole town's judgemental, petty and close-minded thoughts on her actions over the Fellowship of the Sun. No-one thought she got what she deserved by being locked in a basement and almost raped, but they all criticised her decision to make a viral video for the internet. Even Adele hadn't been too happy about her giving away some personal information, but had supported her reasons for doing the video.

She tried to call Eric just after sundown but his phone was switched off. He'd told her two nights ago that he and Godric would arrive back from Dallas yesterday afternoon. Given his deposition as Sheriff and the bombing at his nest, Godric had decided to follow his Child back to Shreveport. Apparently he and Eric hadn't seen each other since the 1940s, and somehow Godric had never met his Grandchild Pam. Why, Anamaria didn't know and hadn't wanted to ask, especially so soon after their Mate status being revealed, but hopefully an opportunity for further talks would come up in the future.

She looked unhappily at her phone when she finished work at eleven, realising that she would have to drive to Shreveport and go to _Fangtasia_. She had only been there the once – the night she had met Eric – and she'd had Bill Compton as an escort, but Anamaria didn't feel that nervous about going back alone. She knew she would be on Eric's turf and neither he nor Godric would allow anything to happen to her. She headed home to change – seeing as her house was on the way to Shreveport from Merlotte's – told Adele her plans, and then drove to the club.

It was a Wednesday night and relatively early so the bar wasn't that busy. She looked around the room after seeing Eric's empty throne, and came face-to-face with Pam dressed in a black latex dress.

"My, my, I don't remember telling you lavender was my favourite colour." Pam leered, eyeing Anamaria's tight long-sleeved t-shirt that did nothing to conceal her curves.

"Pam, sweetie, as much as I love your lesbianism," Anamaria smiled, "I'm here to see Eric. I couldn't get through on his cell."

"Eric's, uh, indisposed at the moment." Pam smiled coyly back at her.

"Well what about Godric? Did he and Eric arrive back yesterday?"

"They did. But Godric is also _indisposed_."

Anamaria frowned a little. "Indisposed doing what? I only need a minute, just need to ask them something." Pam glanced casually at the door that led down to the club's basement. "They're in the basement?" Pam didn't answer. Frustrated with the vampiress, Anamaria headed towards the door, Pam following. She opened the door and headed down into the dark and damp basement.

"No, Anamaria, don't, come back." The other woman drawled in a bored tone, clearly not attempting to stop the Latina.

"What is it, what's going…Shit…" Anamaria trailed off when she came to the bottom of the stairs. There was a metal wheel in the middle of the room, suspended from the ceiling. Two lines of rope hung down from it, a pale hand gripping each of them, the body they belonged to blocked by Eric's. The tall vampire was naked and thrusting into the other person at an inhuman speed. "Eric?" Anamaria asked quietly, shocked by what she was seeing.

Eric stopped suddenly and lifted his head up from the person's neck. "Anamaria." He spoke smoothly, unfazed by her entrance. He glanced over his shoulder at her. His mouth and neck was covered with blood – he'd been feeding on whomever he was with. "See anything you like?" He teased. She flushed.

"I do." His Child chuckled seductively.

He glared at Pam. "I take it she couldn't be stopped?"

"What can I say? She overpowered me." Even though she couldn't see her face, Anamaria knew the vampiress was smirking.

Eric hummed in displeasure. "Off you go, Pam."

"Fine." She sulked, heading back upstairs to the club.

Eric withdrew from his partner and stepped to the side. Anamaria's eyes almost popped out of her skull when she recognised the tattoos on the back of the _man_ now letting go of the ropes he'd been holding.

Godric turned around, "Good evening, Anamaria." The Latina grumbled a nonsensical response, her previous anger and confusion giving way to arousal and excitement. Both the vampires in front of her were gloriously naked, their fangs out, and they were walking towards her. She averted her eyes, suddenly bashful. "How are you?"

She swallowed thickly and cleared her throat nervously. Saying the first thing that came to mind, she asked, "I thought vampires couldn't drink each other's blood?"

Both men chuckled, Eric licking his lips obscenely. "Not quite true. We simply cannot survive off vampire blood – we need human blood to sustain us."

"When we feed from each other, it is usually for sexual pleasure, not sustenance." Godric's eyes flashed a little, his neck wound already healed but blood still trickling down his body. Sensing her discomfort, both men put their fangs away.

"So," Eric said, casually draping his arm around his Maker's shoulders, "What brings you to _Fangtasia_ on this barmy spring evening?"

Anamaria shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Uh, Adele wanted to invite you to tea tomorrow night."

The Viking scoffed. "Does your ageing grandmother know that we can't _take tea_?"

"Eric." Godric chided, as he usually did. Said vampire rolled his eyes but kept his arm around the shorter vampire, his other hand on his hip as he not so subtly displayed his body for Anamaria. "Please tell your grandmother we'd be happy to accept her invitation."

Anamaria smiled nervously, still not knowing where to look. "Okay, and she wants to know if you have a favourite TruBlood flavour?"

"Can't we serve you?" Eric joked. "Blood _à la_ Ana?"

"Eric, be quiet." Godric ordered forcefully. "I won't tell you again, Child." He looked more gently at Anamaria. "I apologise if what you saw shocked or offended you, Anamaria."

"Yes, we wouldn't want to scare our little ingénue." Eric muttered with a smirk at Anamaria.

She glared back at him, cocking her hip out. "I'm hardly a virgin, Eric." That comment visibly displeased him, and even Godric, a little. "I called you earlier but you didn't answer."

"I left my cell off. We didn't want any interruptions." He leered, licking his bloodstained lips again.

She blinked. "But I called you at sundown; that was around seven."

"And?"

She looked at her watch. "You've been…Doing this since seven?"

Both vampires chuckled. "You seem surprised, Anamaria. Vampire stamina is well known." Godric explained.

"How's yours?" Eric teased.

"Oh baby, you don't need to worry about my stamina." Anamaria taunted back flirtatiously. Knowing it would annoy Eric, she added as she turned to leave, "Never had any complaints." His eyes darkened unhappily and he snarled lowly. She paused and turned back. "And there was one thing that surprised me earlier."

"And what would that be?"

She looked him straight in the eye. "That you weren't the one getting pounded." An amused laugh burst out of Godric, lightening Anamaria's very soul with the joy that his laugh contained. This Godric was already so different from the man she had seen in the nest at Dallas. "I'll see you boys tomorrow night. I'm finishing work a little early, so come around nine."

!"!

Anamaria quickly pulled up to the house, panicking that she was running late. The bar had had a sudden surge of customers just after eight so she'd been busy right up until the moment she'd begged Sam to leave early, explaining her plans for the evening. Sam hadn't been happy about her bailing on work to spend the night with vampires, but when she'd given him her best 'sad eyes' look, he'd caved and taken over the bar for her. She only had a few minutes until Eric and Godric would arrive, and she was still in her work uniform and smelt of beer and assorted cocktails.

She locked her car and ran into the house, throwing off her shoes as she hurried towards the kitchen.

"Adele, sorry I'm late! The bar got rammed and I couldn't-"

As she reached the doorway to the dark kitchen, she skidded on something and went flying. She groaned as she slipped again on something sticky, struggling to find her footing and stand up. She reached blindly for the light switch and flipped it on. She glanced down at herself, gasping when she saw she was covered in blood. It was cold and thick, congealing on her hands and feet. She looked down at the floor and let out an agonised scream.


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 15**

As she reached the doorway to the dark kitchen, she skidded on something and went flying. She groaned as she slipped again on something sticky, struggling to find her footing and stand up. She reached blindly for the light switch and flipped it on. She glanced down at herself, gasping when she saw she was covered in blood. It was cold and thick, congealing on her hands and feet. She looked down at the floor and let out an agonised scream.

Sprawled across the kitchen tiles, her usually pristine starched white apron stained crimson with her own blood, lay Adele. There were stab wounds all over her body; her throat was slashed. Anamaria collapsed next to her, reaching out with trembling hands and shaking her shoulders.

"Adele! Adele!" She cried, trying to wake her grandmother, but knowing it was useless. Almost half of the kitchen floor was covered with her blood, and her body was cold. She was dead, and had been for a while. "Adele! _Abuela_!" She whimpered, sobbing as she shook the body.

A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up. She kicked and screamed, fighting against the iron hold her captor had on her. She was turned around. "Anamaria!" An accented voice spoke firmly, giving her shoulders a shake. "Anamaria."

She opened her eyes and looked into the face of the man holding her. It took her a minute to focus, and then she sobbed, "Eric?"

"Are you injured?" He asked, looking down at her blood-covered clothing and feet.

"No."

Eric surprised her by pulling her into his arms, holding her trembling body tight against his. She panted as she gasped for breath, shock starting to set in as her mind tried to process what was happening. Footsteps sounded on the front porch. Eric's fangs dropped down as he prepared for a fight, but shouts stopped him.

"Get your fucking hands off me!"

"Sam?" Anamaria whimpered.

Eric carried her to the front door and saw Sam being held against an outside wall by Godric, the vampire's hand at his throat as he fought against it. "What are you doing here, dog?" The 2,000-year-old vampire snarled, his own fangs out.

"Ana left her cell at the bar – I was returning it!"

"Godric, it's okay, let him go!" Anamaria cried out, stepping out of Eric's hold.

The vampire reluctantly released Sam, who stared at Anamaria in horror, seeing her bloodstained white t-shirt and numb gaze. "Ana? What happened?"

!"!

A blanket was draped over her shoulders and tucked in against her front. Anamaria opened her bloodshot eyes and saw Sam sit down in front of her.

"There you go." He smiled softly at her, his eyes filled with sympathy. " _Cher_ , why don't you go lie down? They," Sheriff Dearborn, Andy Bellefleur and the coroners, "Said they'll be a while. As soon as we find anything out, I'll let you know."

But Anamaria didn't hear him. The thoughts of the men in her kitchen examining her grandmother's body flooded her mind; she was too shocked and numb to block them out.

' _Shit, I got blood on my boots.'_ Sheriff Dearborn.

' _So much blood…Pull it together, pull it the fuck together and do your job! No wonder they don't respect you!'_ Andy Bellefleur.

' _Cut her up real good, must be thirty stab wounds. Throat's wide open. Holy hell, we got ourselves a serial killer.'_ Mike, the coroner.

' _I wanted to take my grandkids to the lake for the weekend!'_

' _This is so messed up! Fucked up family don't deserve this.'_

"Ana!" Sam broke through the trail of thoughts pouring into her head.

Coming back into the room, Anamaria blinked a few times. "Maybe I should get some air." She mumbled, getting off the couch and heading out the front door into the warm night air of Louisiana. She stumbled over to the steps of the front porch and sat down, leaning against a wooden column and pulling the knitted blanket – Adele's handiwork – tighter around her shoulders.

Sam followed her outside, sitting down next to her. They sat in silence for a minute, just listening to the buzz of cicadas and the chirps of crickets around them. "I'm sorry for how I spoke to you yesterday. I was rude and I lost my temper-"

"Can you please apologise to me another time, Sam?" She interrupted snappishly.

He reached out and held her hand. "Just…Whatever you need, anything at all, I'm right here."

"I know. Thank you." Then his thoughts started coming through; they always did with skin-on-skin contact.

' _Hold you, make everything better, your skin's so soft, I miss you every day, we were so good together-'_

Anamaria snatched her hand out of his. "I said another time, Sam." He nodded awkwardly. There was a brief pause before she spoke again. "I need to call Jason."

"I'll do it, if you like." Sam offered.

She nodded numbly, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "What happened to Eric and Godric?"

He hummed unhappily. "I'll get them."

"Thank you." She called after him as he stood up and went into the house.

Sam asked the Sheriff and Andy where the two vampires were, and they both grumbled that they had gone upstairs. He headed up onto the next level of the house, hearing faint sounds coming from Anamaria's bedroom. He stormed into the room, seeing Eric looking out of Anamaria's open window, examining the wooden frame.

"What are you doing?" Sam demanded, his hands on his hips.

Eric turned around, his blue eyes meeting with Sam's. "Examining the room for anything out of the ordinary."

"How would you know what's ordinary for Anamaria's bedroom?" He snapped. "I've been in here more than you have." He taunted the vampire.

Godric's voice came from behind Sam as the older vampire moved into the room, moving to stand next to Eric. "But not for a while, Mr Merlotte. Your scent is almost undetectable; I'd say you haven't been in this room in a long time. Wouldn't you agree?" Godric asked testily.

Sam growled in his chest, and Eric rolled his eyes. "Did you come up here for a reason, dog, or just to annoy us?"

"She's asking for you."

Eric sensed the other man's anger, and smirked at him. "Something you wish to say, Sammy?"

"Yeah. I want you to stay away from Ana."

"I don't believe Anamaria appreciates other people making decisions for her." Godric commented.

"You don't need to tell me who Ana is. I've known for a _long_ time. I know her better than you." His taunting tone clearly remarked upon a level of intimacy he shared with Ana that the two vampires didn't.

"Then surely you know that this is not the time nor the place for you to _mark your territory_." Godric snarled.

"There's a woman lying dead downstairs! And she wouldn't be there if it weren't for you!" He took a step closer to the vampires. "If anything happens to Ana, I swear I'll be sharpening two stakes with your names on."

He left the room and headed back downstairs to sit with Anamaria. The two vampires shared an annoyed look, then Eric nodded his head towards the window. Godric saw what his Child was referring to immediately; the fly screen over the window, and the large slash in it.

!"!

"I'll sit with Anamaria; you see if the Sheriff needs anything." Godric said as the two vampires headed downstairs. Godric went through the front door and sat down next to Anamaria, their Mate. From his position, he could see Anamaria scoot closer to Godric on the step, her hip touching his as her hand reached out and entwined her fingers with his Maker's. Eric was still getting used to the idea of Anamaria and her importance to them – in all his 1,000 years, Eric had only met three Mated groups, and the last one had been more than 500 years ago. It felt so strange that this little rainbow Latina was the one they were destined to be with for eternity. They hadn't explained that part to her yet; she was still a flight risk. But the two vampires already had most of it figured out.

Walking towards the kitchen, Eric's enhanced senses easily picked up the conversation between the Sheriff and the Detective.

"…Those bloodsuckers are crafty," The Sheriff whispered conspiratorially, "They've been killing long enough to know how to cover their tracks-"

"Am I interrupting?" Eric asked smoothly, his hands in his front pockets as he rounded the corner from the dining room into the kitchen.

"Mr Northman, sir, you can't be in here-" Detective Andy started to say, but the Sheriff smoothly interrupted him.

"It's alright, Andy. I suspect Mr Northman has been around more than a dead body or two. Isn't that right, sir?" The Sheriff regarded him untrustworthily, but Eric's blank face gave nothing away. He had nothing to do with the poor old woman's death, but did want the police to find the killer. If not only to protect Anamaria in the future, than to see Anamaria gain some happiness from knowing her surrogate-grandmother's killer had been brought to justice.

The two humans shifted uncomfortably as Eric continued to stare back at them. In the end, the Detective spoke. "Friend of yours?" He pointed to Adele's body.

"More of an acquaintance." He explained, not unkindly. "I knew her through Miss Santiago, and had only spoken to her a few times."

The Sheriff took off his hat. "We got a couple more questions for you. Do you mind?"

"Not at all." Eric commented dryly, stepped back into the dining room to talk to the officers.

"Okay, so, Anamaria told us you were here when she found the body. That right?"

"Yes, Godric and I arrived shortly after."

The Sheriff looked at him suspiciously. "Kind of late to be paying house calls." Eric stared at him with a raised eyebrow, almost asking him if he were serious. "Oh right, I guess you don't sleep."

"They sleep," Bellefleur explained quietly, "Just not at night."

"Godric and I had been invited over for the evening by Ms Stackhouse. Anamaria told us to come at nine."

"Why were you invited over?" The Sheriff asked tersely.

"I don't believe that's any of your business." Eric snapped, his patience with the man waning thin. "If we could get back to the matter at hand…You're wasting your time investigating the possibility of the killer being a vampire."

Both lawmen blanched. "Excuse me?" The Sheriff demanded.

"Anamaria told me a few weeks ago that two other women had been murdered?"

"Yes, Maudette Pickens and Dawn Green."

"How did those unfortunate women die?"

Andy shifted and fiddled with his notepad. "Uh, strangulation with an object."

"Were they exsanguinated?" The humans looked at him in confusion. Eric held in a sigh. "Were they drained of their blood?"

"Oh. No, they were not." Sheriff answered.

"And now Ms Stackhouse has been viciously attacked, with a knife, and left to die in a pool of her own blood. Can you see why the killer would not be a vampire?" He asked sarcastically. "A vampire would not waste two corpses filled with blood, and would not attack a human using a knife."

Andy protested, "But both Ms Pickens and Green were found with vampire bites on their bodies!"

"That's it? That's all the 'evidence' you have pointing to a vampire killer?"

"Eric!" Godric called from the front porch. "I believe you've answered the gentlemen's questions." His tone was clearly ordering Eric out of the house. The vampire smirked and obeyed his Maker, heading out to the front porch. Sam was leaning sullenly against a wooden column, and Anamaria and Godric sat on the top step, her hand still firmly gripping his. _"Mind your tone with the detectives, Eric."_ He ordered in Old Swedish. _"They're one step away from arresting you for obstruction."_ Eric scoffed, sitting down next to Anamaria, his long legs resting on a step further down than hers and Godric's.

"I'm sorry Ana, but I can't get through to Jason; he's not answering his cell." Sam announced grimly as he glared at his own phone in his hand.

"Not your fault; he's probably prowling the bars in Shreveport."

"Would you like me to call Pam?" Eric offered. "To see if your brother has gone to _Fangtasia_?" Sam growled lowly at the mention of the infamous vampire bar.

She shook her head absently. "Jason wouldn't go to _Fangtasia_ ; he doesn't like vampires enough." Over her head, Godric and Eric looked at each other closely, noting that information.

They sat in silence for a minute before Eric spoke again, asking Anamaria, "What happened to your house?" Sam shifted uncomfortably against the column, heading back inside, quietly saying that he'd try calling Jason again.

She stared at him. "You've only just realised that the house is covered in mud and twigs?"

He shrugged. "I didn't want to comment."

She sighed. "It's a strange story."

"It's a strange night."

Anamaria wasn't impressed by his blasé attitude towards her grandmother's death, but she spoke anyway. "Adele said there was some sort of gas leak in town, made everyone go crazy…"

Godric picked up on her hesitation. "But?"

"I could tell she was lying." She began to whisper so low that even she could barely hear her own words, but she knew that the vampires' enhanced senses enabled them to hear her perfectly, "When I tried to look in her mind, it was completely blank, like she didn't remember what happened. And there's been nothing in the news about a gas leak – Adele said that they just haven't gotten around to covering the story yet."

"Would you like us to investigate?"

Anamaria turned back to Eric and frowned at him. "You're not Glamouring my friends." The front door opened again behind them. Anamaria stood up when Sam stepped outside. "What's going on?"

"They're gonna bring Adele out now." He said softly. Anamaria nodded bravely, letting Godric and Eric walk her a few steps away from the front door, waiting for the coroners. Sheriff Dearborn and Andy came out first, looking at Anamaria.

The Detective spoke first. "Ana, maybe you wanna sleep at a friend's house tonight? Maybe somewhere a little less isolated?"

She instantly shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere."

Godric turned his head towards hers a fraction. "Little one, perhaps it would be best-"

"No." She said firmly, her hand tightening around his. "This is my house. I'm not running away." The two vampires at her side clearly disapproved but knew better than to try to order her around.

The outer door was nudged open by Mike the coroner's boot as the middle-aged man backed out of the house carrying one end of the gurney on which lay Adele. She was zipped up in a black body bag, but Anamaria knew she was in there. Her grandmother…

' _Damn lucky you're not in that body bag, screwing two fangers.'_ Sheriff Dearborn's hateful thoughts hit Anamaria hard. He looked back to Anamaria after watching Mike's young assistant head down the steps supporting the other end of the gurney. _'You could be next-'_ Eric's hand suddenly came up and cupped the back of her neck. His touch, along with Godric's, helped block out the thoughts she was too upset to deflect. "We're truly sorry for your loss, Ana."

"Are you all done inside? I'd like to clean up now." She snapped, hating what the older man obviously thought of her now.

He shrugged. "Alright then."

"Call us at the first sign of anything." Andy ordered firmly but with kindness. As he and the Sheriff passed by Sam, he said to the other man, "Look after her."

"We will." Eric called out loudly, obviously making a point. It was a good thing both vampires were touching Anamaria; she dreaded to think what thoughts would have hit her after that comment.

"The officers are correct, Anamaria; you should not stay here tonight." Godric said to her gently.

Anamaria frowned. "I'm as safe here as anywhere." When the three men looked at her as if she were crazy, she sceptically asked, "You seriously think the killer's going to come back to the house twice in one night?"

"Ana, they're right." Sam spoke up. "You can have my trailer; I'll sleep in my office at the bar."

She stood up straighter, determined to make her point. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You could stay with us." Eric suggested.

Anamaria sighed, now annoyed. "Eric, I really do appreciate the offer and one day soon I'll take you up on it, but I am _not_ leaving this house." She said firmly with a glare up at him. "Now you two have to go; it'll be dawn soon." She stepped away from them and made a shooing motion with her hands under the blanked still wrapped tightly around her.

"You infuriatingly stubborn little girl." Eric grumbled.

"You ridiculously tall annoying Viking." She quipped back.

"Let's stop that now, shall we?" Godric intervened before they could start an argument. The ancient vampire could already tell that he would play the role of peacekeeper in the trio's relationship – he looked forward to it; he'd already had many a fantasy about future ways of making the two of them apologise to the other in delicious ways. "We will leave, little one, but we will come back." He promised, pressing a lingering kiss to her cheek.

When he stepped back away from her, Eric swooped in and brought his lips to hers firmly. Holding her to him for a second, he pulled away. "Try not to get yourself murdered in the meantime." With a brief goodbye, the vampires headed off into the night, leaving her with Sam.

The two of them stood on the porch for an awkward few seconds before Anamaria cleared her throat. "There's an extra mop around the back. Would you bring it for me?"

He shook his head in sad disbelief. "Ana-"

" _Abuelita_ took a lot of pride in this house; she was mortified about how it looks now." She referred to the dirt and mud streaked across every wall in and out of the house, the twigs and branches still draped over doorways and strewn across windows. "I can't let the kitchen stay as it is." Sam shifted uncomfortably but nodded. "Thank you. I'm just going to change out of my uniform, then I'll be back down."


	16. Chapter 16

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 16**

It had taken her and Sam the rest of the night to get the kitchen back to its original condition. After the huge bloodstain on the floor and the splatters across the walls and furnishings had been cleaned, they had turned their attention to the dirt, leaves and everything else that remained in the house after the 'gas leak' that had affected the townspeople. Every person in town had a complete block across the almost-week Anamaria had been in Dallas with Eric and Godric, and she still hadn't found out what had actually happened, not buying the gas leak story Adele had sold her.

The kitchen was spotless by 6am, but the hardworking and focused pair didn't stop. They started clearing out all the debris from the whole house – which had taken them more than an hour – and then set to work on moving all the furniture back to where it had been before the 'gas leak'. They didn't have time to wash the dirt from any of the inside or outside walls before the wake that was going to take place in Adele's honour, but they did manage to sweep and mop the whole house, except for Adele's bedroom. It was the best they could do in the short time they had.

Tara and Lafayette, Anamaria's best friends in the small town, had come over to the house just after eight that morning while Anamaria took a shower. She hadn't wanted to, she was still numb from the night's events, but Sam had pointed out that all of Adele's friends and the town's gossips would be coming to the house for the wake, and Adele wouldn't have wanted Anamaria to look anything less than pristine for the occasion, if only to avoid people saying nasty things about her appearance.

Anamaria was sat at the kitchen table around noon, contemplating asking Sam for a few days off work so she could restore the house completely to its former glory, when someone came up on her left. Startled from her thoughts, Maxine Fortenberry stood in front of her, a wrapped casserole dish in her hands.

"Oh, Ms Fortenberry. Hey. Uh…" Anamaria didn't really know what to say. She was the one grieving for her grandmother, and yet she had to say nice things to everyone who had come to the house that morning? Sometimes she really didn't understand Southern etiquette. "Adele spoke of you often, she liked you." It was the best she could come up with. It hadn't been completely true – Adele often commented on how Maxine Fortenberry was a gossip and an ignorant woman – but Anamaria wasn't in the mood to try and come up with something more meaningful. "Thank you for coming." Tara took the casserole from the older woman, putting it with the rest of the food.

"I am so sorry, child." The older overweight woman gushed, stroking Anamaria's hair. Anamaria hated the way Maxine Fortenberry always stroked her hair, as if she were an animal that needed to be calmed. "Adele was just an angel sent from Heaven, too good for this world." _'I heard they almost cut off her head.'_ Anamaria's emotional distress and lack of sleep had kept her mental shields almost non-existent. Everyone's thoughts had been slipping through all day. _'I don't see any blood. I should've gotten here sooner. Maybe I should have made my red velvet cheesecake…'_

"Excuse me." Anamaria stood up and made to leave out the back door when Arlene met her in the doorway.

Her redheaded colleague pulled her into a tight hug, sobbing on her shoulder. "Oh, honey! I'm so sorry for you! Are you doing okay, sweetie?" She pulled away from the hug, holding Anamaria at arm's length to look at her closely.

"Yeah, Arlene, I'm fine. Thank you for coming."

"Of course, sweetie. It's the least I could do." Arlene cooed soothingly, tucking Anamaria's hair behind her ear. Arlene was one of the few people Anamaria didn't mind being touched by. "Now, baby, if you need any help with moving or whatever-"

"Moving? I'm not moving." Depending on what the bank said when she'd go to see them. "This is my home."

Arlene looked shocked. "But honey, it happened right here." She whispered.

Anamaria softened her features. "I have more good memories of this house than bad ones."

"Well, what a way to look at it, I suppose." Arlene didn't sound sure but she kept smiling. "You know, you really are smarter than people give you credit for."

Anamaria blinked at the insult. "Thank you, Arlene."

"No sweetie, I didn't mean it like that-!"

"It's fine." She said quietly, heading out the kitchen and walking through the dining room. With every step she took, she could feel dozens of pair of eyes watching her every move, thoughts hitting her from everywhere. _'So she finally comes out of the kitchen', 'She still hasn't cried a single tear!', 'You just know she's hanging around with vampires after that ridiculous video she made', 'Girl's always been as crazy as a bed bug', 'When is she going to crack? I didn't book the day off work for nothing!', 'We all know you killed your grandmother, you stupid chit'._ The force of so many thoughts all coming at her at once made her stumble as her head felt like it were trapped in a vice. "Tara…"

"Come on, Annie." A warm pair of hands gently grabbed her upper arms and steered her out of the dining room and towards the stairs. "Lafayette, girl time, come on." Tara's tone brokered no arguments as she helped/forced Anamaria up the stairs and into her bedroom. The Latina tumbled onto her bed, reclining against her pillows. The quiet and cool of her room helped clear her head enough so that she could open her eyes and focus again. Lafayette took her shoes off for her, pulling her feet into his lap as he rubbed them gently. Tara sat on the other end of the bed. Both cousins looked at Anamaria sympathetically.

"I shouldn't have lost it like that." Anamaria said quietly.

"Don't you be sorry for needing some time away from those snoopy old bitches." Tara admonished in her typical Tara fashion. "They all been shoving their noses where they don't belong for too long!"

"Say it, bitch." Lafayette joked, pressing his thumbs into the ball of Anamaria's left foot. "If they talk any more shit, they'd all be shaped like turds." The cousins shared a quick laugh, both apologising to Anamaria for laughing at such a time, but the Latina wasn't paying attention.

"Gran's gone." She said numbly. "She's actually gone."

"Yeah, she is." Tara agreed solemnly, helping her friend come to terms with it.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do." She confessed. "I've got school and work, and there's the mortgage on the house…My student loans, bills to pay, the cooker and washing machine are both on the fritz…I can't even think straight."

"Of course you can't. How can you with all those circling buzzards?" Tara asked, jabbing her thumb at the bedroom door. "You're not their entertainment!" Growing up as one of the only black people in a small town, with no father and an alcoholic mother, had given Tara a very large chip on her shoulder, feeling like everyone looked down on her. Most people did, but only because of how she behaved. "You don't have to dance for 'em, you just gotta feel whatever it is you're feeling." She advised gently, holding Anamaria's hand.

She shook her head. "I'm not sure I'm feeling anything right now. I'm just numb."

"Numb is good." Tara agreed quickly. Lafayette nodded along, still massaging Anamaria's feet. "Maybe numb is exactly what you need right now." The other girl just stared absently back at her. "Stop worrying about being so damn appropriate for Adele's sake. This is not an appropriate time."

She nodded and took a deep breath. "Thank you for getting me out of there. I haven't had a single minute of silence all day. I just can't shut anything out."

"You want me to tell 'em all to shut the hell up? I will!" Tara offered with a smile.

Anamaria wanted to smile, but couldn't. "I wish it were that easy." She lamented.

"It is, though." Lafayette grinned cheekily. "Your wish is my command, m'lady." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag full of various pills, capsules and tablets.

"Babe, I don't want any drugs right now." Anamaria declined gently.

"Not drugs, baby girl," He held out a small blue pill in-between his painted fingers, "This is just a Valium." Anamaria didn't look impressed. "Well baby, put it on your nightstand, just in case you change your mind." She eventually relented, taking the pill and putting it down on the brightly painted table next to her bed. "I'ma head downstairs and check on the circling buzzards." He jumped up off the bed and went back downstairs, both girls knowing he'd manage the guests with no problems.

"Lafayette?" Anamaria called to him.

He turned back around. "Yes'm?"

She held her hand out to him and he stepped forward to take it. Squeezing his fingers tightly, she smiled at him. "Thank you." He smiled back at her and bent down to kiss her lips. Their kisses were never sexual or romantic; Lafayette was as straight as a circle, and Anamaria considered him a brother. He left her bedroom, closing the door after him, and the two girls were left alone.

They lay on the bed in silence for about half an hour, both of them silently mourning the loss of the one woman in both their lives who had taken care of them. Adele had adopted Anamaria, and had looked after Tara when her own mother was too drunk to do so.

After a while, Tara asked, "Want me to call anybody for you? Tell 'em about the funeral tomorrow?" Anamaria hadn't wanted to bury Adele so soon, but the older woman had some sort of pension plan with a funeral already organised with the company. "Cousin Hadley, maybe?"

"We haven't heard from her for over a year; not since she ran away from that rehab facility Adele paid for."

"Any vampires?" Tara asked in a clearly disapproving tone.

Anamaria hedged; she hadn't told anyone apart from Adele about her relationship with Eric and Godric. God only knows how the backwater people of the town would react to her dating not one but two vampires, the eldest being older than Christ but having the body of an eighteen year old. The town already knew vaguely of Eric, from the time he had come into Merlotte's, and he hadn't left a very good impression. Not that Eric cared. Anamaria cared a little, but only because she would have to listen to everyone's thoughts on the man.

Instead, she said, "A vampire couldn't come to the funeral, Tara. Daytime, you know?" She rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Well excuse me." Tara fussed. "We're not all vampire experts."

"Eric was here last night. Another man too – Godric."

Tara frowned. "Godric? Who the hell-?"

"He's a friend of Eric's, and he's my friend too."

"How long have you known this guy?"

"That's complicated." Her friend didn't look impressed as she glared at her. Anamaria sighed. "You know how I had, kind of, a guardian angel when I was younger? The one who stopped me from…" She trailed off, clearing her throat awkwardly. "Well it was him. I didn't realise it at the time. But I met him for real in Dallas. But when we met, he'd never seen me before. So, the short of it is; I've known him longer than he's known me. So it's a little weird between us."

Tara bristled, rolling onto her back. "Well what's he like, this Godric? If he's friend with that tall bastard-"

"Tara, stop it." Anamaria snapped.

"You should hear the things people are saying-"

She snapped again, "I do. Eric and Godric didn't kill Adele. They were here with me all night. I don't know how I would've gotten through it if it hadn't been for them."

Tara raised an eyebrow. "Even Eric? He don't seem like the comforting type."

"Well he was himself, but he still helped." She paused. "When I'm around them – both of them – it's like…I almost feel normal." A car pulled up outside, the tires crunching the gravel as it stopped suddenly. The front door burst open and footsteps pounded on the stairs. Anamaria's bedroom door almost flew off its hinges, and Jason stormed into her room. She stood up and walked over to her brother. "Jason-"

His hand smacked against her cheek, her face erupting in pain. "It's your fault!" He screamed at her, having to be held back by Tara. "My gran's dead 'cause of you! It shoulda been you!"

"Don't you lay a hand on her!" Tara put herself between him and a shocked Anamaria, pushing back on his chest.

"She's screwing vampires, Tara! Fucking vampires!" He yelled in disgust.

"Those vampires were there for her when you weren't! Is this how your grandma raised you, to beat on your own sister?"

"She ain't my fucking sister!"

Tara screamed at him, "Get out!" She pushed him back out the room, slamming the door shut in his face, resting against the wood until she heard Jason's footsteps head back downstairs. She immediately ran to Anamaria, helping her off the floor and back onto the bed. "You okay?" She looked at Anamaria's cheek, already seeing a dark red mark form on her cheek.

Anamaria reached out to her nightstand, picking up the Valium pill and swallowed it down with a long drink of water, sighing when she was done. Tara gently urged her to lie down and get some rest, closing the curtains. She lay next to her friend as she drifted into a deep sleep, stroking her hair in a soothing rhythm until her breathing evened out.

Tara went downstairs and kicked the guests out, insisting that Anamaria was grateful for everyone's support but that she needed rest and alone time. Sam lingered in the hallway, looking longingly upstairs, but Tara gave him a shove out the door and he was gone. She and Lafayette continued Anamaria and Sam's earlier labours and helped clean the house well into the early evening.

About half an hour after sundown, there was a polite knock on the door. While Tara took out the garbage, Lafayette went to the front door and opened it. "Well hello, gorgeous." He cooed, leaning against the doorframe.

Godric raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"I'll be whoever you want, sugar."

"Lafayette, who you tormentin' now?" Tara called from behind him, coming up and opening the door a little wider so she could see the new arrival. She took in the young looking man in front of them, eyeing the pale skin and cool nature of the stranger. "You that Godric guy?"

He nodded suspiciously. "I am. Where is Anamaria?"

"She's upstairs. She had a rough afternoon."

"So I would imagine." He paused, waiting for the two of them to step aside and let him in. When they didn't, he spoke up. "Might I come inside?"

"Ana's sleeping." Tara said firmly.

"Then I shall not wake her. But I would like to come inside now." He said, a little more firmly.

Tara snapped. "Don't you need the owner to invite you in?"

There was a blur of motion, and Eric appeared suddenly on the porch next to Godric. "Is there some sort of problem here, Godric?" He asked dangerously. Both humans stepped back in alarm.

Godric replied in an equally dangerous tone. "It appears that Anamaria is asleep, and her two…Friends are reluctant to allow us entry."

"Well seeing as we've already been invited in; we don't need their approval." He dismissed casually as he entered the house, nudging the two humans aside. Lafayette backed away from the tall vampire, while Tara glared at him with her hands on her hips.

"Ana had a rough afternoon; she don't need-"

"Be careful before you finish that sentence, Ms Thornton." Eric threatened lightly as he moved toward the kitchen. He glanced around quickly, admiring the thorough cleaning that Anamaria and Sam had done the previous night. It was impossible to tell that a brutal murder had taken place the night before.

"How do you know my name?" She demanded uneasily as she and Lafayette followed Godric into the room.

Eric chuckled, taking two _TruBlood_ s out of the fridge and putting them into the rather old microwave. He wondered if the machine would even work properly. "I ran a background check on everyone in Anamaria's life; I know all about you, and you, Mr Reynolds."

"You ran a background check? Why the hell would you run a-"

"Because we need to make sure that everyone who is around _our_ Anamaria is trustworthy." Eric emphasised 'our', enjoying the humans' reactions. Lafayette was stunned; Tara was horrified. The microwave beeped, and Eric took out the two bottles. He shook them at vampire speed, then handed one to Godric. "I'll take the first watch, then return to Shreveport around two." He nodded to Godric before heading back outside, closing the front door behind him.

Godric opened his _TruBlood_ and took a sip of the vile concoction, amused by the awkward silence that had fallen between himself and the two humans. He looked over the dining table filled with food. "Was the gathering successful?" He pointed to the full table when they looked at him in confusion.

"A load of people turned up, but I wouldn't call it 'successful'." Lafayette remarked. Godric tilted his head, clearly asking for more details. "They all acted like they always do – judgemental and opinionated sons-of-bitches. It gave Ana a hard time; she couldn't block anythin' out." Godric nodded in understanding, walking over to examine the table of food. "Then there was Jason-"

"Shut up." Tara whispered.

Godric heard. "What about Anamaria's brother?"

Tara sighed in exasperation. "He turned up, yelling and screaming about how everything's Ana's fault. Then he hit her."

The vampire couldn't contain his furious growl. "He struck her?"

"Yeah-"

In a gust of wind, Godric sped upstairs and into Anamaria's bedroom. The girl was still sleeping on top of the covers of her bed, curled up on her side. He saw the bruise blossoming under her tanned skin, forcing himself to silence the second growl that threatened to rumble in his chest. Loathe to wake her, Godric tried to calm down. Eyeing the tall-backed wicker chair in the corner of the room, he pulled it over to the side of the bed and watched Anamaria for several minutes, forever curious about sleeping humans. Sleep was one of the things he missed about being human; for vampires, the rest period between their nights was not as peaceful as the sleep of humans. Their Dying times passed in an instant, and then they were awake again. There were no dreams, no feelings of restfulness.

Anamaria shuffled on the bed, drawing Godric's attention. He stroked her hair out of her face, making her look up at him. When he saw him sitting next to her, she smiled brightly and sleepily. "Godric." She cooed.

"Good evening, Anamaria." He gave her a rare smile back.

"What'cha doing here?" She rubbed a hand over her eyes.

He gave a small shrug. "We told you we'd keep you safe."

"We?"

"Eric is outside with the dog." He sneered distastefully.

Anamaria sat up slowly and yawned widely. "Dog?" Godric nodded his head to the window. She stood up off the bed and padded over to the window, seeing Eric standing on the grass below her room, a light brown border collie sitting next to him. She smiled. "Oh, that's Dean."

Godric raised an eyebrow. "Dean?" What had the shifter been telling her?

"Yeah, Dean the dog." She giggled, climbing back onto the bed. The Valium she had taken earlier was still making her tired and a little giddy. "He hangs out around the bar sometimes. He's cute."

"Indeed." He hummed noncommittally.

As she sat cross-legged on her bed, she noted that Godric seemed a little off-put by something. She had an idea. "Hey, you want to see my Godric box?"

The vampire stared at her for several seconds, before smiling. "Pardon?"

"I told you in Dallas that I made sketches of you and wrote down the dreams I had."

"I recall."

"Yeah, and I told you I kept all the stuff in a box. You want to see it?" He smiled and took a drink of his TruBlood. "It's under the bed." She nodded her head in the right direction as she sipped on her water from earlier. The Louisiana afternoon air had made the water a little stale, but she couldn't be bothered to go downstairs to the pitcher in the fridge. Godric got out of the chair and knelt on the floor by her bed, lifting the valance sheet around her bed. Underneath the bed, he saw two boxes. He pulled out the first one, lifting the lid. "No, Godric, that's not-!"

"This is an interesting Godric box, little one." He raised his head and she saw that he was smirking at her. He kept his fangs inside his gums – barely – as he examined the contents of the box, hearing Anamaria's heart beat faster.

"That's not the right box; it's the other one." She blushed furiously.

He chuckled deeply, putting the box back under the bed and withdrawing the second one. "Perhaps that box will soon become the Godric-and-Eric box." She blushed again, pulling a pillow from behind her and burying her face in it. "You think a pillow will protect you, little one?" His eyes had darkened a little as he straightened up again, staring down at his flushed Mate, who was a hair's breadth away from being ravaged.


	17. Chapter 17

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 17**

He chuckled deeply, putting the box back under the bed and withdrawing the second one. "Perhaps that box will soon become the Godric-and-Eric box." She blushed again, pulling a pillow from behind her and burying her face in it. "You think a pillow will protect you, little one?" His eyes had darkened a little as he straightened up again, staring down at his flushed Mate, who was a hair's breadth away from being ravaged.

Anamaria felt her heart beating faster in her chest, her breath starting to come in pants and gasps. Godric stood over her, his upper lip twitching almost imperceptibly as he fought to keep his fangs at bay. She could feel her own control slipping away from her, and she was so close to laying back on the bed and letting her Mate have his way with her, knowing she would enjoy every second of it.

A knock on her bedroom door stopped the idea in its tracks. "Ana? Y'in there?" Lafayette called from the other side of the door.

Godric sat back in the wicker chair next to her bed, sitting silently as he downed the rest of his TruBlood. No doubt an effort to cool his bloodlust. He crossed his legs and placed the correct box on his lap, taking the lid off. Anamaria had the chance to admire the effect the box under her bed had had on him. Blushing at the sight of his obvious arousal, Anamaria cleared her throat awkwardly. "Yeah, Lala, you can come in."

"Lala?" Godric mumbled under his breath in amusement as he picked out a handful of loose sketches and started flicking through them. She giggled.

Lafayette opened her bedroom door and peaked his head inside. He saw that she was awake and sitting up, and stepped fully into the room. He had a plate in his hand, and eyed Godric nervously. "Hey baby girl. You feelin' a little better?"

"A little. Thanks for the pill earlier." Godric's head snapped up and he frowned at her. "It was just a Valium." She explained. He relaxed a little but still wasn't happy.

"I made you a plate." He offered her the plate of grilled strips of fresh chicken breast and steamed green beans. "I want you to try and get it all down, okay? You'll feel a little more human if you do." As he stood over her, she smiled at his caring tone, feeling like a little sister receiving a talking-to from her big brother. Her mind briefly passed to Jason, but she put him out of her mind.

"What about the food everyone brought earlier?"

"Nah, baby girl, you don't need no bad juju cooking."

She smiled as she nibbled on a green bean. "Bad juju?"

"Yeah baby, there was only fear and nastiness comin' outta that food. You don't need that now." He glanced at Godric again. "Everythin' alright in here?"

"Anamaria is perfectly safe in my care, Mr Reynolds." Godric said dismissively, looking hard at a watercolour drawing of a forest he hadn't seen in over two millennia. It was the forest in which his tribe had lived; he hadn't been back there since he had been Turned. Even with his understanding of the depth of a Mate bond, he was still amazed that this little human had seen things from his past, things he had almost forgotten about. On another sheet of paper, there was a rough charcoal sketch. It was incomplete and somewhat hurried, but from the details he could see, he knew it was his mother from his human life. He couldn't remember her name.

Lafayette shifted again. Why was he so nervous? Anamaria's curiosity almost made her look inside his head, but she made herself stick to her promise that she would never invade anyone's privacy unless it was necessary. To save him from whatever was upsetting him, she asked, "Were the guests alright after I freaked out?"

"You didn't freak out." Lafayette said firmly. "You'd had a hard night, no sleep, you were run ragged, and those little bitches were thinking God only knows what about you and Adele." Anamaria smiled at his sass as she took a bite out of a chicken strip. "They were okay. They were only here about half an hour, until Tara kicked 'em all out."

She chuckled. "Good girl."

"Y'all set for the funeral tomorrow?"

Godric asked, "Is it normal for humans to be buried so quickly?"

Anamaria didn't take offence at his question. Godric had spent to past two decades being a vampire Sheriff in Texas; human customs hadn't been a large concern to him. "Not always, but Adele had already arranged everything before she died." He nodded in understanding, returning to his examination of a sketch of him during what seemed to be the 1700s. Anamaria truly was a gifted artist; by the date she'd written in the bottom corner, she'd only been seventeen when she drew that piece. "What are you and Tara doing now?"

"We finished cleaning up downstairs, but now Tara's arguin' with the washin' machine."

Anamaria groaned in exasperation. "Yeah, it's been playing up for a while now. I'll go help her." She put the plate down on her bed and padded out of the room.

Lafayette stood up quickly and made to follow her, but Godric's voice interrupted his exit. "Mr Reynolds." His accented voice made the human stop dead. "A word, if you please."

He hesitated. "I, uh, I gotta help downstairs-"

Lafayette turned to leave again, but in a rush of air, Godric was in front of him, his hand resting firmly against the closed bedroom door, a dark look on his young face. "I'm afraid this isn't optional. Is Anamaria aware of your…Afterhours activities?"

The human trembled. "What you talkin' 'bout?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about, Mr Reynolds."

Lafayette knew, but tried to deflect. "If it's about the Valium I gave Ana earlier, I swear I won't give her no more shi-"

Impatient, Godric came to stand toe-to-toe with Lafayette at vampire speed, his fangs out to make a clearer statement. The human gasped in fear and jumped back. "The acquisition, sale and use of vampire blood as a recreational drug is illegal in the State of Louisiana, Mr Reynolds. I take it Anamaria is unaware of your dealings with the substance?"

Lafayette knew he could no longer lie and bullshit his way around the vampire. "No, she don't know. I mean, she knows I use it from time to time and she don't like it, but she don't know about the sellin'."

"I thought not. I am about to enter into a relationship with Anamaria, and so is my Progeny, Eric Northman." He saw the human begin to shake. "You may be aware that Eric is the Sheriff of this Area. You dealing in vampire blood is a crime which falls under his jurisdiction. It should also be known that Eric is not famous for his leniency or tolerance of vampire related crimes-"

"I ain't stealin' it, or hurtin' anyone!" Lafayette tried to protest. "The vamp I go to gives it to me willingly!"

"In return, I suspect, for sexual favours." Godric commented dryly. "Seeing as it would greatly distress Anamaria should my Child seek justice for your crimes – which he is perfectly within his rights as Sheriff to do – I will not inform him of your activities…" He knew that Eric could hear the exchange perfectly from his spot outside beneath the open window, but the human didn't need to know that, "…On the condition that you cease all dealings with vampire blood, with immediate effect."

Lafayette shook his head sadly, "Look, man-"

Godric was immediately in Lafayette's face, his fangs out and menacing an inch from the human's eyes. Lafayette stumbled back and fell to the floor. "This is your only warning, Mr Reynolds. Stop by choice, or be stopped by force."

He nodded his head frantically. "Okay man, I get you! No more V, I got it!"

"Good." Godric pulled his fangs back up, not offering to help the human to his feet. Instead, he stared at the other man until their eyes locked, and Godric immediately pulled his mind into a Glamour. "Now, tell me about Anamaria."

!"!

Anamaria poured another jug of hot water down the detergent shoot of the washing machine. She and Adele had noticed about three months ago that the machine wasn't injecting any water into the washes, so they'd come up with this method of manually filling the machine until they could afford a replacement.

"Why don't you just replace that old piece o' shit?" Tara asked in disbelief as she watched her friend from the kitchen counter.

Anamaria scoffed. "With what money? My minimum wage from the bar, or Adele's pension? Which'll be stopped now that she's…" Anamaria breathed deeply, willing herself to push past the pain. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, the washing machine's the least of my worries now."

Tara nodded sadly. "Do you know how much is left on the mortgage?"

The Latina shook her head. "No idea, but I think it's only a few thousand." She laughed cynically. "'Only a few thousand', it's still thousands I don't have. Plus, the driveway needs doing; the whole place might need redecorating after whatever the hell happened in here; the washing machine; the cooker; my classes…" She clasped her hands together at the back of her neck and breathed slowly. "What the fuck do I do, Tara?"

She was quickly pulled into a tight hug and buried her face in Tara's neck, breathing in the smell of her friend. The two girls had grown up like sisters; with Tara's mother's alcoholism, Tara had spent more time at Adele's house when she was growing up than she had at her own home. "You'll be fine, Ana, I know it. Look at all the shit you've already been through. First, your parents; then finding Adele; that shit with-"

Anamaria shuddered and almost cried. "Don't say his name."

Tara shushed her soothingly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. What I mean is: you're a fighter, you don't give up, you don't let shit drag you down. And you won't this time. Everything'll work out, I know it."

!"!

Godric took over Eric's watch outside the house at eleven, giving the Viking some time with Anamaria. Tara and a dazed and slightly terrified Lafayette had left just after ten, both of them stroking Dean the dog on their way to Lafayette's car. Anamaria had headed upstairs and was running herself a hot bubble bath when Eric vamped up and leant against the doorframe of the bathroom. She sat on the edge of the bath in her robe, her legs crossed as she waited for the bath to fill. Her hair was pulled up and away from her neck in a bun atop her head. She was trying to rub out an ache forming between her shoulderblades, but her arms weren't long enough.

"Knead any help?" Eric winked at her.

She chuckled. "Now see, if you hadn't included the wink, I might have said yes." She gave him her own exaggerated open-mouthed wink, but he just laughed. It was a wonderful sound that came from deep within his chest, sending shivers down her spine.

He eyed her exposed feminine calves. "Well, what have we here?"

She looked down at her legs. A force of habit almost made her attempt to cover her skin, but she knew her robe was too short for that, and Eric would quickly move to stop her. And besides, "You've already seen them before." She referred disapprovingly to the time in Dallas when he had snuck up on her after she had left the shower.

He shook his head as he approached her and knelt down, gently taking hold of her ankle. "I was too busy looking at your torso." He ran his fingertips of both hands up and down her calves, stroking over her skin, fascinated by what he saw. The gentleness with which he stroked her flesh surprised her. She hadn't thought the mighty Viking vampire capable of such delicate caresses. "There doesn't seem to be a pattern." He commented.

"No, not really." She agreed, resting a hand on his shoulder, just in case he decided to tip her backwards into the bath. He wore a black leather jacket, a weakness of hers.

"Is there any particular story to these?" He put down her first leg and picked up her second, resting her foot on his bent knee. Anamaria quickly adjusted her robe to protect her modesty; she wore nothing under her robe.

"No, they're just how I feel." He looked up at her, his eyebrow furrowed in confusion. "My other ones have stories; these ones are just…It's hard to explain. When I was designing them, I put myself in a kind of trance, and just used paints on my skin in whatever way I felt was right. When I came to and I saw what I'd drawn on, the paint felt like it was reflecting whatever emotions and feelings were under my skin." She blushed at her awkward explanation.

"I understand; there's actually a long history of humans choosing designs based on hallucinations and trances." He stood up quickly and reached behind her. The bath had almost overflown. "Getting distracted, are we?" He teased.

"Well I do have a six foot Viking in my bathroom, a Gaul just outside my window," She knew Godric was outside and could likely hear every word being said, "And I only have on a little robe." She smirked at Eric as she toyed with the sash of the cloth she wore.

His eyes darkened and she could tell he wanted to let his fangs down. "Don't play with fire, woman."

She sobered a little. "I'm not afraid of getting burnt." Keeping her eyes locked with his, she reached out and held his hand. She drew it closer to her body, and opened her legs. He saw her movement and his fangs instantly shot out from his gums as she placed his hand on her knee and nudged his fingertips up the inside of her thigh. But she stopped him halfway. He was about to protest, tell her that she shouldn't tease a vampire with sex, when he felt her skin. It felt smoother and thinner than her other skin. He dropped his eyes to her thigh, pushing her robe back a little to look at her. There was a large ovular burn on the inside of her right thigh. "I self-harmed up until a few years ago." She explained when he didn't say anything.

"Are there any more?" He asked as he lightly stroked her burn. She nodded, ashamed of her past behaviour. "Show me."

"Eric-"

"Show me." He repeated, not unkindly. She nudged back her sleeves and showed him her wrists and forearms. Her forearms held a few dozen scattered faint scars across the skin, past efforts to hurt herself and cause pain. But both wrists each held one harsh line across the veins; her final suicide attempt. He held her forearms, stroking his thumbs over the scars. "Get in the tub." He stood up, gently pulling her to her feet.

!"!

With Dean the dog sleeping outside Anamaria's door, Eric and Godric left the house half an hour before sunrise. They were both reluctant to leave their Mate, given her emotional turmoil and her earlier confession of self-harm in difficult times, but there was nowhere light-tight in her house. They double-checked every door and window, checked in on a sleeping Anamaria, and then left the house.

As they walked down the cracked and hole-filled driveway towards Eric's red Corvette, they spoke in whispered Old Swedish.

" _You heard what she said about the mortgage?"_ Godric asked his Child.

" _And the bills, washing machine, cooker, driveway, decorating, and her student loans. I know a contractor whose father owes me a lot of money, and I'll call the bank tonight."_

" _It's time we stepped up and took care of our Mate."_


	18. Chapter 18

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 18**

Anamaria arrived at the cemetery early the next morning. Her rainbow hair was pulled back in a ladylike bun, to keep the gossip and disapproving comments to a minimum – honestly, she'd had her hair like that for more than five years; why were people still so judgemental! She wore a simple black dress with a long-sleeved cardigan. She'd covered her legs with thick flesh-coloured pantyhose, and slipped on a pair of pumps with small wedged heels. Adele's coffin was already at her burial plot, with the priest and undertaker prepping for the service. She mindlessly small-talked with them until people started to show up. Adele had been well respected and liked in town; there wasn't even enough seats to accommodate all the mourners, so a few dozen had to stand.

Jason had turned up late, looking unkempt and flushed. His eyes were darting all over the place and he was sweating like he'd ran a marathon. Anamaria approached him, taking in his unironed suit and pants and sloppily arranged tie.

"Jason, what are you doing?" She snapped at him quietly.

"What the fuck you talkin' about?" He growled, unable to look her in the eye as he shuffled and fidgeted.

"Are you hung-over? No, scrap that; are you drunk? Or high? Or both? This is our grandmother's funeral, and you show up thirty minutes late, looking like something the cat dragged in!"

"She weren't your grandmother!" He snarled. "Now just leave me the fuck alone!"

"Gladly." She snapped, walking back over to her seat for the service. Unfortunately, she would have to sit next to him for the funeral, but she had Tara and Lafayette next to her, both of whom were very supportive and loving.

The service began with the priest saying some kind words about Adele, and then a singer performed one of Adele's favourite hymns. Throughout it all, Jason sat slumped in the seat next to Anamaria, his legs twitching and bouncing uncontrollably. Anamaria chided him to keep still and sit up straight, but he just hissed at her to 'shut the fuck up' and leave him alone.

The sounded of squeaking wheels made Anamaria look to the side, at the path leading from the main road to the cemetery, and her heart froze. Adele's estranged brother, Uncle Bartlet, was being wheeled toward the service by a young man. What the hell was he doing here? Adele had cast him out of the family fifteen years ago; how did he even know she'd passed away?

Bartlet's wheelchair was arranged next to Jason's seat, and the young man shook hands with his elderly great-uncle.

Anamaria glared at him when he dared to look at her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"She was my sister." He whispered defensively.

"You haven't been a part of this family for a long time, and you know it."

"Leave him alone." Jason snapped. "He's my family, not yours. You're the outsider here!"

The singer finished and took her seat, the priest moving back to the podium. He looked kindly to Anamaria. "Honey, do you want to say something?"

Furious and badly hurt from Jason's words, Anamaria stood up shakily – making Tara ask her quietly if she was okay – she pulled out the speech she'd written for Adele and stood at the podium. "Adele Stackhouse was everything to me. When she fostered and adopted me, she became my mother, my grandmother, my teacher, and my best friend." Because of her own heightening emotions, Anamaria's mental shields blocking out everyone's thoughts waivered, and a few thoughts slipped through.

' _Oh please, if it weren't for you, she wouldn't be dead'; 'How dare she show her face here'; 'It oughta be you in that coffin'; 'What's the world come to? A vampire lover givin' a eulogy'._

Anamaria shook her head a little and forced the thoughts out. "To say that she'll be missed just doesn't cut it, because I can't even imagine a world without her in it. She was always there with a hot meal and a shoulder to cry on. Not just for me, but for everyone in this town…" Her shields broke down again.

' _Please forgive me, Adele, I never meant to hurt Ana, I couldn't help it, she was just so pretty,'_ thought Bartlet; _'Poor pathetic thing, up there talkin' shit'; 'Don't even pretend you're sad, girl, you're the reason she's dead'; 'You disgust me, bitch';_ Sheriff Dearborn's voice came through, _'You're sleeping with goddamn vampires, we all know it'._

The hateful and disgusting thoughts about her and her grandmother finally got to her. "Shut up!" Anamaria screamed, startling the whole town. "All of you, just shut the fuck up!" Tara, Lafayette and Sam looked at her in concern, no doubt all knowing why she had shouted for people to be quiet despite no-one having said a word, out loud anyway.

There was an awkward pause before the thoughts came back with a vengeance. _'Look at her, cursin' at a funeral!'; 'She's just plain crazy!'; 'You little freak, what's wrong with you!'; 'God, Ana, why did you have to say that?'; 'Her poor gran must be rollin' in her grave right now!'_

That last thought struck a nerve, when she realised that she had indeed just shouted profanities at Adele's funeral. Tears filled her eyes. She picked up her clutch bag and ran off into the cemetery, unable to tolerate any more. From behind her, she heard the priest ask awkwardly, "Anyone else?"

With tears spilling down her cheeks, Anamaria ran through the graveyard until someone grabbed her arm. She spun around and punched the person in the gut on instinct, pausing when she saw it was Jason.

"Jesus, Ana!"

She tried to walk away, but he grabbed her again. "What are you doing here, Jason? Go back to the funeral."

"Ana, slow down, just wait!"

She snarled, "Why, so you can hit me again?"

Jason had the decency to look ashamed. "Ana, you gotta know how sorry I am-" He reached out to her, but she stepped away.

"Don't touch me." She looked at him again, then snapped, "Why are you here, Jason? You want to tell me how it's all my fault? How you wish it were me in that coffin instead of Adele? Go ahead, everyone else is thinking it!"

"Ana, I didn't mean to hurt you-"

"You invited Bartlet!" She screamed, pushing at his chest. "What were you thinking!"

"Ana, he was Gran's brother! I thought he had a right to be here. Look, whatever problems they had, it's in the past-"

"You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Ana, please." He sounded broken, his face a picture of pure misery. "The two of us…We're all we've got now."

She sniffled and shook her head. "We got nothing, Jason." And she ran off once more.

!"!

Anamaria hid in a corner of the cemetery for an hour or so, waiting for the funeral to be over. When she was sure that enough time had passed, she headed back to Adele's new grave, watching as the undertaker slowly lowered her grandmother's coffin into the ground. After a few minutes, she heard footsteps coming from behind her, but she didn't bother turning around.

Someone stood next to her. "Hey." Sam.

"Hey yourself."

"I was lookin' for you."

 _Not now, Sam._ "Well, you found me."

"I liked your speech. What I heard of it, anyway." She didn't respond. "I especially liked the part where you told the whole town to 'shut the fuck up'."

In spite of everything, the corner of her mouth lifted a little. "Yep, I'm a real crowd-pleaser." She grumbled sarcastically.

"I'll walk you home." He offered. He added on, "If you like," when she didn't immediately reply.

He held his arm out to her, and she took it a second later. He waited patiently for her as she watched her grandmother being lowered into the ground, then starting walking slowly when she nodded her head, indicating she was ready to leave. They walked in a comfortable and mournful silence through the cemetery and back to the house, where Sam opened the screen door for Anamaria while she got the key out of her purse.

"Hey, how about we put on a movie?" He suggested, trying to cheer her up. "I'll find us something on TV, something cheesy with aliens in it, and we can make popcorn and-"

"Sam," She interrupted gently, "I appreciate the gesture – I really do! – but I just want to be alone right now."

Looking almost like a kicked puppy, Sam nodded sadly. "Of course."

She kissed his cheek as a 'thank you', then let herself into the house. But before Sam could even turn to leave, she screamed. Diving into the hallway, he froze next to Anamaria. Tina, Adele's cat, was hanging from the spinning ceiling fan, blood dripping from her neck and where her head should have been.

"Fuck!" Sam cried, reaching up and turning the fan off. As he looked back at Anamaria, he saw her face had been splashed with the blood from the dead animal. "Shit, Ana…Go, go wash your face. I'll clean this up." He offered, but she shook her head as she trembled.

"He was here…Whoever it was that killed Adele, he was here again. In my house, he was in my house!" She cried as she broke down. Sam brought her shaking form into his arms, not caring that his suit was now stained with blood. He held her until she stood up a little straighter, lifting her bloody face out of his jacket. "I'm sorry." She mumbled.

"It's okay." He soothed.

"You can go now, if you want."

He gaped at her. "No, Ana, I'm not leaving you alone right now! I know it's not what you want, but this sick son-of-a-bitch is after you!"

She shook her head and said with certainty, "He won't come back today."

"Ana-!"

"He did this to Tina to scare me." She explained, gesturing to the beheaded cat. "First Adele, and now my cat…He's enjoying this. He won't end the game too soon by coming back twice in one day."

"So you're a psychiatrist now?" Sam grumbled.

"I've been inside people's heads long enough to know what they're thinking. I don't know who this is yet, but why would anyone kill a cat, cut off its head and hang it up in front of the door unless it was to scare someone?"

Sam acquiesced that she'd made a good point. "Still, I'll check out the rest of the house."

They both went to the kitchen first. Sam checked all the cupboards and sideboard – even though every cupboard was so jam-packed that she and Adele had had no room for anything new – before moving back through the downstairs rooms. Anamaria got a bucket out from under the kitchen sink, filling it with hot soapy water in order to wash the blood off the walls in the hallway. Sam came back down a few minutes later and told her everything seemed fine, but he wondered how the killer had gotten inside the house to begin with. Anamaria confessed that she didn't remember if she'd locked the back door on her way out that morning, earning herself a brief lecture on being safe.

The pair of them had an odd and morbid sense of déjà vu as they cleaned the hallway. The killer had nailed Tina's tail to one of the blades of the fan, requiring Sam to use a hammer to remove the nail and the poor animal. He asked Anamaria what he should do with the body, and she told him she'd like to bury Tina in the backyard.

"We're getting quite adept at cleaning up blood." Anamaria joked humourlessly to Sam as they dug a small hole around the back of the house. She'd chosen a spot near Adele's shrubbery bushes, as Tina had liked to hide there when the sun became too hot in the afternoons.

They parted ways after burying Tina, and Anamaria headed back into the house. She didn't bother to change out of her black dress, knowing she was going to be getting even dirtier anyway. The walls of the house – both inside and out – were still caked in mud, and Anamaria needed a distraction. It was only just noon, so she had at least seven or even eight hours before Eric and/or Godric arrived. They had promised that until the killer was caught, one or both of them would be with her all night, to keep her safe.

But she planned on more than that for the night ahead.

!"!

A brief phone call to Eric had confirmed both he and Godric were both going to drop by the house that night. Eric had joked that he wanted to see her 'Godric and Eric box', which made her groan in embarrassment as she realised that the older vampire had obviously told Eric what her 'Godric and Eric box' was. But on second thought, maybe showing it to him would prompt him to instigate what she was hoping for that night.

The two vampires she was coming to think of as 'hers' said they would arrive around eight-thirty, so Anamaria made sure to still be in the bath at quarter past. It would be enough time for her to wash herself, and ensure that there were still enough bubbles to tease her…Vampires? Boyfriends? Mates? They could work out the terminology another time.

Just before half past, Anamaria sent Eric a text to say that she was upstairs, so the two of them should just enter the house when they arrive. Although she had closed the bathroom window and lowered the blind, Anamaria could still hear a car pulling up outside, two car doors opening and closing, then a courteous knock on the front door. The door opened immediately, showing that her vampires/boyfriends/Mates had received her text. They called out to her, asking where she was, and she called back that she was upstairs.

Half a second later, there was a knock on the bathroom door. She called out a calm 'come in' and the door opened. Were they trying to kill her? Eric was dressed once again in a black leather jacket and tight jeans, and Godric wore his signature white linens. The contrast in their clothing and physical appearances made Anamaria's heart race. Judging by the smirk on Eric's face, both of them knew that too.

"Good evening, little one." Godric greeted gently, obviously slightly uncertain of how to talk to her after her day of laying her grandmother to rest.

She gave him a gentle smile. "Good evening, Godric. Eric." She smiled in his direction too.

"You look…Effervescent." He smirked at the bubbles she was surrounded by in the tub.

"That's a long word for you." She teased.

"Careful, darling, let's not mock the Viking." He winked dangerously, sending her heart racing.

"How was your day?" Godric asked as both vampires moved into the room. Neither of them averted their eyes from the tub, though both did keep their gaze on her face.

"Horrific, actually."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "No. But thank you for offering to listen. Maybe another time." She looked to Eric. "How's the bar?"

"Doing well, as always." He didn't expand any further, so Anamaria didn't ask any more questions. "So what's this I hear about a 'Godric and Eric box'?" He teased with a wink.

"I still can't believe you told him!" She glared at Godric, who merely shrugged innocently.

"I wasn't about to keep such a treasure trove from my Child, was I?"

"I suppose not." She complained sarcastically. It was now or never. "I guess I'd best get out, before I prune anymore."

"Are you expecting us to leave, lover?" Eric teased.

She laughed. "Not at all." Summoning her courage, she lifted her hands out the water, gripping the sides of the tub and pulled herself up. She raised herself out of the water slowly, trying to be naturally seductive but not too obvious. She stepped out of the bath and onto the fluffy mat next to the tub. With her back to them, she brought her hair over her shoulder and glanced back around.

Eric was openly lustful, while Godric was marvelling at the sight of her body. "I see why you slapped Eric in Dallas, when he was about to tell me something. You have more ink than I do."

!"!

 **There we are, Anamaria's secret revealed! Who guessed it was tattoos?**


	19. Chapter 19

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 19**

"I guess I'd best get out, before I prune anymore."

"Are you expecting us to leave, lover?" Eric teased.

She laughed. "Not at all." Summoning her courage, she lifted her hands out the water, gripping the sides of the tub and pulled herself up. She raised herself out of the water slowly, trying to be naturally seductive but not too obvious. She stepped out of the bath and onto the fluffy mat next to the tub. With her back to them, she brought her hair over her shoulder and glanced back around.

Eric was openly lustful, while Godric was marvelling at the sight of her body. "I see why you slapped Eric in Dallas, when he was about to tell me something. You have more ink than I do."

The first thing he saw when he looked at her naked body was the brightly coloured phoenix that spanned the whole of her back. Its wings spread across her shoulder blades, with its tail trailing down her spine and curling in the small of her back. There were no black lines on the design, just bright reds, oranges, yellows and greens. It was truly a wondrous design, one Anamaria had obviously taken great care in choosing. Her buttocks were free of ink, but her legs were covered in an elaborate design that coiled around her limbs like vines. They went all the way from her hip to her ankles. The colours spanned the whole spectrum, but there seemed to be no set pattern for the designs. There were some purple swirls on her outer right thigh, a red wavy ring around her left knee, green waves along both her calves, a blue star at her right ankle, and more. Most of the skin was coloured, but it managed not to look cluttered or crowded.

When she turned around, both vampires were treated to the sight of her sleeved arms and under-breast tattoo. The design on her sternum was simple compared to her back and legs. It was simply the outline of three large and open roses, one under each breast and one in the middle. It was simple, yet no less beautiful or sensual. Godric didn't stop himself from walking forward and taking hold of her hands, lifting her arms slightly so he could see the designs on her skin. On the back of her left wrist lay a triangle with a circle and vertical line in it, with the word 'Always' underneath it. The whole of her left forearm – inner and outer – depicted Van Gogh's _Starry Night_ , and her left upper arm was filled with flowers, gladioli to be specific, of different colours painted as a watercolour, again with no black lines.

Switching his gaze to the top of her right arm, he recognised a design of _Alice in Wonderland_. A scroll was being poured from a teapot on Anamaria's shoulder, coiled around the mouth and eyes of the Cheshire cat, continuing down to circle a falling Alice, and then filling a teacup at the bottom, with ' _Aquí todos estámos locos'_ written in cursive at various points on the scroll. There were also some playing cards on the design. He knew the quote, but wondered why it was in Spanish. Her right inner forearm was covered in a long piece of sheet music. The notes weren't labelled, and there were no lyrics, nor a title for the piece, but Anamaria would obviously have known what piece of music it was. Godric would ask later. The last design was on her right outer forearm; the whole stretch of skin was a wonderful mess of watercolours mixed together, with a treble clef acting as negative space in the colours, as if someone had rubbed out the shape when the ink was drying.

Anamaria stood silently in front of Godric for over a minute, trying not to be uncomfortable under his close examination. In a rare moment of insecurity, she asked, "You like it?"

Eric scoffed. "Well we can hardly ask you to take them off, now can we?"

Godric chided his Child for mocking their Mate. "They're beautiful, _älskling_. They suit you." She blushed a little.

Eric chuckled at her blush, and walked over to the bath, pulling the plug out to let the water drain away. As he stood up straight again, he saw that she had put her robe back on. "Anamaria, Godric and I have already seen everything. And we're Mates; there's no need for this shyness or modesty."

"It's just that no-one's seen me naked for a while." She mused timidly as he stepped closer to her, toying with the sash of her robe.

"Are you worried about having let yourself go?"

"What? No!" He thought she'd let herself go?!

He chuckled as he slowly untied the sash, but held her robe closed. "Because you needn't worry; stick thin women have never held much appeal to me, or Godric. Isn't that right, Maker?"

"Well that's a relief." She snapped sarcastically.

"Child, while I agree with your point that our Mate need not be shy about her body or question if we find her desirable, I don't believe it's a good idea to mention weight in front of one's significant other, especially if that person is female." Godric commented dryly.

Eric laughed again, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. It was wonderful, even if she was still a little annoyed about the 'letting go' comment. Between them, he parted her robe, his hands resting on her waist, gently squeezing her curves. Suddenly aware of her body, she started to pull away. He didn't let her. "No, Anamaria. You are beautiful; don't be ashamed of yourself."

"Eric Northman saying sweet things to a human; must be the End of Days." She said sardonically.

He raised an eyebrow. "I could tell you all about how I want to fuck you raw, if that helps." She gasped. Not at his language, but at the very thought of him making good on his promise. "Yes? You want to hear about how Godric and I plan to seduce you into our bed? How we'll touch you and hold you and lick you until you can't remember anything but our names?" Anamaria moaned against his mouth as he pushed her robe off her shoulders, leaving her naked and exposed to both vampires.

And just at that moment, there was a knock on the front door. Eric growled loudly against her mouth, pulling away while cursing viciously in Swedish.

"Expecting anyone, little one?" Godric asked, bending down and picking up her robe. With a shake of her head, she took her robe from him and pulled it on. "Eric." Godric nodded his head to his Child, clearly telling him to answer the door. The Viking disappeared downstairs at vampire speed, appearing only a second later with a grim and serious look on his face.

"It's Nan Flanagan. And she's not alone."

!"!

Eric had sped Anamaria into her bedroom and helped her get dressed in only a matter of seconds, making the Latina rather dizzy but oddly grateful to have a vampire…Boyfriend? Mate? Godric had gone downstairs and was waiting in the foyer for Eric and Anamaria to join him in front of the door. With Anamaria dressed in yoga pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and as comfortable as she would be for whatever was about to happen, she and Eric came downstairs. Godric opened the front door wide enough for everyone to see each other.

Nan Flanagan stood on the front porch, clad in some serious black leather, looking very different to how she usually does in her television interviews. Behind her stood a group of a dozen heavily armed guards, also dressed head to toe in black leather. From the voids she felt coming off them, Anamaria was suddenly aware that she was the only human on the premises.

"Miss Santiago." Nan greeted with faux cheerfulness.

Anamaria nodded back tensely. "Ms Flanagan…And friends. What's going on? Am I about to be sent to vampire prison?"

Nan smirked wickedly. "Nothing so serious."

"Then why are there Authority guards with you?" Godric demanded.

"For my protection, of course."

"You think a dozen gay Stormtroopers could protect you from us if you try to harm my human?" Eric snarled, hating that he had to lie about his and Godric's relationship with Anamaria; if the Authority found out that the three of them were Mates, they'd rule over their lives with a silver fist, no doubt hoping to use this particular Mating to their advantage and help bring human-vampire relations closer. After all, his Maker was a 2,000-year-old former Sheriff and one of the most respected and feared vampires across the entire globe; he was a current Sheriff with 1,000 years to his name; and Anamaria was still human. Their union could bring about a new era of peace for the Authority if it were exploited correctly.

At Eric's threat, the 'gay Stormtroopers' raised their weapons and prepared to fire at Nan's word. Anamaria held her hands up in a soothing manner. "Why don't we all just take a deep breath, okay?" She then remembered that vampires didn't need to breathe. "Right, sorry. Well, we all need to calm down. So, Eric and Godric, no threats please. And Authority guards, no shooting. This is my house, after all. And you _are_ guests."

"Aren't guests normally invited in?" Nan mocked.

Anamaria looked to Eric and Godric for silent advice. Godric spoke, "Just you. Your officers stay outside."

Nan nodded somewhat tersely. "That is acceptable."

Anamaria sighed. "Well then, Nan Flanagan, please come in."

The vampires entered the house, looking around. "I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother. Adele, wasn't it?"

Anamaria clenched a little as she closed the front door. "I'll ignore the fact that you never even met the woman, but I'll thank you for the sentiment, empty as it may be. And if you've read that my grandmother died, then you know what her name was. TruBlood?" She snapped.

"Yes, please. An A variety if you have it."

"I do. But I don't think I have enough for all your friends."

"They won't partake; they're here to do a job." She said curtly.

An awkward pause fell over the four of them. Anamaria directed Nan to the sitting room while she went to prepare her TruBlood. She had asked the vampires if they minded her having some coffee, not wanting to offend their enhanced olfactory senses with the strong and bitter aroma of coffee. Eric and Godric declined a beverage of their own, as they obviously wanted to be ready for anything. Neither of them trusted Nan, and if they didn't then Anamaria didn't either. She came back into the sitting room with her creamy decaf and a warmed blood, handing it to her guest with a napkin and offering her a seat. Nan sat in an armchair while the three Mates sat on the sofa.

"Interesting décor." Nan said sarcastically, eyeing the mud on the walls.

"Long story. Is that what you want to talk about?"

"Maybe at some point; you _have_ drawn attention to yourself with your little video stunt, and the Authority can't have its new poster girl living in a slum."

The room fell silent for several seconds, with all three Mates processing and considering Nan's words. The Authority's poster girl? They wanted Anamaria to represent them? The 'why?' was obvious, but the 'how?', 'when?' and 'for how long?' were not.

"Poster girl?" Eric eventually asked.

"Yes, Sheriff Northman." Nan emphasised Eric's position. "The Authority is positively drooling over the fact that Miss Santiago is your human. Just think of the publicity this could bring to the A.V.L.; the new face of vampire-human relations in a relationship with a millennium-old Sheriff, who is also the Progeny of Godric the Gaul. They're all very excited."

"Then we're all doomed." Eric quipped.

"I have a question." Anamaria said numbly, actually putting up her hand in a daze. "Is this…Uh…Offer of employment optional? Or will there be consequences should I say no?"

"An interesting, and entirely necessary, question." Godric said. " _Is_ this offer negotiable?"

Nan smiled dangerously. "What do you think?"

"I think I don't like being threatened in my own home, thank you very much." Anamaria said in anger.

"It's hardly a threat, Miss Santiago."

"No, those'll come later if I say no."

Eric quietly cautioned her. "Anamaria-"

The Latina sat forward and looked at Eric. "Don't tell me to be cautious here. The representative and 'friendly face' of vampires is in my home, uninvited at eleven at night, all but ordering me to work for the Authority, or God only knows what'll happen to me. That, to me, is a threat!"

"If you'd like to feel threatened, Miss Santiago, that could be arranged-"

"Get out."

A pin drop could be heard in the room. Nan snarled, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Anamaria said strongly, slamming her coffee cup down on the table. "Get out of my house."

The front door was suddenly blown open by a strong gust of wind, and Nan was pulled to her feet by an invisible force. "Miss Santiago, think this through-!"

"Nan Flanagan, I rescind your invitation." Nan was suddenly dragged out of the house by the unseen force and thrown into the garden, screeching in outrage all the way. Anamaria and Godric headed into the foyer, watching as the Authority spokeswoman got to her feet and brushed herself off. "Don't come back." Anamaria said firmly.

Nan Flanagan just glared at her, raising a single finger. "Unwise, Miss Santiago. Unwise." And with that, she vamp-sped away from the house, her guards following her.

Anamaria slammed the door shut, huffing to herself as she and Godric returned to the living room. Eric was lounging on the sofa casually, his ankle propped up on his knee as his long arms stretched across the back of the couch.

"Well that could have gone better."

"Hey, you heard her. She was practically telling me I have no choice in working for the Authority. Was I supposed to just say 'okay then, tell you what; I'll drop out of college, quit my job and come to work for you full-time trying to make all vampires look friendly'?" Anamaria snapped sarcastically, picking up her coffee and taking a long drink. "People can be stupid, but come on! No-one believes Nan when she says all vampires respect humans and value our lives, yada-yada."

"Yes, heaven forbid vampires are seen as good people." Godric quipped sarcastically.

"No, I didn't mean-!" She turned to him and prepared to apologise when she saw he was smirking at her. "You little shit!"

"Calm down, little one, I was only having fun."

"Well, it wasn't funny!"

Eric chuckled from the sofa. "Really, can we all calm down now? Besides, your comment a minute ago reminded me of something I've been wanting to talk to you about."

Anamaria frowned at him. "What comment?"

"About you quitting your job."

"Eric, I wasn't being serious-"

"Perhaps you should quit your job. Why don't you come and work at Fangtasia, little one?"


	20. Chapter 20

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 20**

Anamaria parked around the back of Merlotte's, cursing herself in Spanish as she caught another glance at her watch. She was more than twenty minutes late for her shift. She'd been catching up on college work that she'd been neglecting since meeting Eric and Godric, and when she'd finally looked up at the kitchen clock, it was already five minutes past the start of her shift. Scrambling to get out the car, she locked it and rushed through the back door to the restaurant. In the distance, she heard Sam asking if anyone knew where she was, or if she had called anyone to say she wasn't working.

"I'm here, Sam!" She called out as she ran into his office to collect her work things. Footsteps followed her down the back corridor and into the office.

"Ana…" It was Sam.

"I know I'm late, I'm sorry! I didn't do it on purpose." She hurriedly pulled on her apron, passing the strings around her waist and fumbling with them behind her. "I was doing school work and I didn't realise the time-"

"Ana, it's fine. Your shirt-"

She groaned and palmed her face. "Oh crap! Don't tell me it's dirty. Have you got a spare one?" For the first time, she looked to Sam, who was simply staring back at her. "Sam?"

"Your shirt…"

Anamaria looked down at herself and suddenly realised that she had left the house wearing a short-sleeved Merlotte's t-shirt. Her arms, her tattoos and even her self-harm scars were completely exposed. Thankfully, she was still wearing her jeans. "Oh…Um…Is this going to be a problem? I've never showed my tattoos before."

"No it's fine." He cleared his throat awkwardly as he made himself stop staring. He'd only seen her tattoos once before and he'd been busy concentrating on the rest of her body to focus on her arms. "The other girls wear short sleeves, it's fine."

Anamaria squinted. "But…?"

"No, no. I just worry about what some people might say about…About them." He waved his hand at her arms.

She hummed uncertainly. "Well, as Eric said, it's not like I can take them off. And I certainly wouldn't for some backwater hicks." She smiled anxiously, feeling the atmosphere in the room suddenly change at the mention of Eric. "I best get out there; Arlene will be pulling her hair out, thinking she has to do the dinner shift alone." She grabbed her pens and pad, all but running out the office and into the restaurant.

!"!

The afternoon dragged for Anamaria, consisting mainly of annoying customers making either verbal or mental comments about her newly unveiled tattoos. Why was it such a shock that she had tattoos? Quite a few people in town had ink of their own. Granted, most of them were men with trucker tattoos, and the only women with ink mainly had 'tramp stamps' on the smalls of their backs. Her tattoos may be unusual, but they all meant something too her; each piece had a story.

With time passing slowly, it felt like an eternity until the dinner rush at seven. Although it meant that there were more customers in her section – and therefore more people's thoughts she had to block out – being busy helped keep her mind off everything that was troubling her. Adele, the house, bills, college work, and the small matter of the murdering psychopath trying to kill her.

It was nearly eight o'clock when the restaurant suddenly went silent. Anamaria had been taking an order when she'd noticed the abrupt lack of conversation, and looked around the bar in bewilderment. Then she groaned. Heading over to the front door, she whispered, "What are you doing here?"

Eric smirked back at her. "Can't a fella drop in on his steady gal from time to time?"

She blinked. "Try again."

"Okay then. How about 'there's a murderer loose in this town and I'm here to protect you'?"

"Strike two."

Eric sighed dramatically, putting his hands in his pockets. "Fine. I'm here to annoy you into quitting your job."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

Someone came up behind her. "Ana." It was Sam. "You okay here?"

"She's fine, Mr Merlotte. Thank you for your consideration." Eric drawled with a large and fake smile.

"This is still my bar, _Sheriff_." Sam sneered. "I can kick you out."

The vampire chuckled. "Oh I'd love to see you try."

"Boys!" Anamaria clicked her fingers in between their faces. "I may be a teeny tiny human girl but, so help me God, I will put you both over my knee right here and now!"

"Yes please, Mistress." Eric winked. Anamaria flushed. "Isn't it against Louisiana State law to discriminate against Vampire-Americans?"

"Eric…" Anamaria started dangerously, too busy to deal with his nonsense.

"Relax, I'm not here to cause trouble."

"Then what do you want?" Sam demanded, his hands on his hips.

He eyed Anamaria for a few seconds before shrugging. "I'll settle for a booth and a TruBlood."

"Look, Northman-!" Sam took a step closer to Eric, but Anamaria pressed her arm against his stomach to stop him.

"Sam, I've got it." She jabbed her thumb at Eric. "Come on." She led him over to a booth in the far corner of the restaurant and pointed at the seat. "Sit." She ordered. He mumbled another 'yes, Mistress' but did as he was told. "Now listen here: you will sit, you will be quiet, you will drink your disgusting TruBlood, and if you scare any of my customers, you'll be brushing your teeth with silver. Am I clear?" She gave him a sickly sweet smile, batting her eyelashes at him.

He smiled and folded his hands on top of the table. "Crystal."

"Good. Now what TruBlood do you want? We have A positive or O negative."

"Ugh." He grimaced at his two least favourite flavours. "O negative."

"Fine." She started to walk off but he reached out and grasped her hand. She turned back and glared at him. "What?"

"Why are you waiting tables?" He whispered.

She blinked at him. "What?"

"Why are you waiting tables? I thought you said you were a bartender."

"I am."

"So why are you waiting tables?"

She shrugged. "Because Tara's doing the bar."

"Just tonight?"

"Most nights."

"So you've been demoted because your friend with too much attitude has stolen your job because she can't keep her mouth shut at her own workplace?"

Anamaria frowned at him. "It's not like that!" She had a thought and smacked his shoulder. "And don't be mean about my best friend!"

"You know, if you worked at _Fangtasia_ , you'd have great money, privileges, no yokels…" He trailed off enticingly.

"You're right. Just a roomful of vampires who'd eat me in a heartbeat." She finished in a harsh whisper.

"Better than a roomful of racist hicks who hate everything about you." He countered somewhat harshly. Anamaria flinched. Even though what Eric said was true, her feelings were no less hurt. The people here didn't hate her…Did they? She knew most of them didn't like her or found her strange, but hate? Eric registered her pain but pushed past it, unsure of how to deal with her upset. Normally his first instinct would be to fuck her raw right there on the table until she forgot what she was upset about, but he didn't think she'd take kindly to that. "The vampires at the bar wouldn't dare hurt you."

"Because of whatever I am to you?" She asked quietly as she fiddled with one of her pens, still hurt from his earlier comment.

" _Älskling_ ," He said gently, waiting until she looked at him, "Never doubt your importance to Godric and I. We may not call ourselves your 'boyfriends' just yet, but you are important to us, and we will protect you."

She cleared her throat. "I'll get your blood."

!"!

Sitting on the throne in _Fangtasia_ was not something Godric ever thought he'd have to do. When Eric had called him a year or so after the Great Revelation to tell him that he was converting his video store business – a punishment handed down by the Magister – into a vampire nightclub and calling it _Fangtasia_ of all things, he had laughed and wished his Child the best of luck with the new venture. But now that he was sitting in the ridiculous throne on the stage, he cursed himself for not forbidding his Child's plans.

Eric and he had agreed that one of them needed to stay behind at the bar that night, especially given Nan Flanagan's visit the night before, and one of them would go to Anamaria. They had debated who would stay and who would go, arguing this point and that, before Pam had enough of their arguing and flipped a coin for them. Fortune favoured Eric – as it usually did – and he got to be with their Mate for the evening while she worked. Although a trip to Bon Temps might not have been a stroke of luck after all, with the abundance of hatred towards vampires that seemed to fill the whole town.

Pam had dressed Godric – much to his chagrin – completely in black leather. He'd drawn the line at eyeliner, but he felt ridiculous all the same. As he had settled into the throne for the evening, the customers had looked at him in both confusion and awe, no doubt wondering where Eric was. Pam had announced, rather theatrically, that he was over 2,000 years old, had conquered entire empires, destroyed monarchies and burnt kingdoms to the ground. People had been staring at him all night, countless of them offering themselves to him. He didn't react, just continued to look around the bar in morbid curiosity. There was even a woman selling t-shirts and hats with the bar's name and logo on them. He'd have to have a word with his Child about this representation of vampires.

Pam suddenly appeared at his side, appearing to be perfectly calm and collected, but was whispering fast Swedish at him. _"Nan Flanagan is here. She's with guards. She says it's official business."_

Before Godric could tell her what to do, the door to the bar opened and Nan Flanagan strode in, her guards flanking behind her. The music in the club stopped and everyone stared at the vampiress. As she was in public near humans, her appearance was rather respectable, or even comely.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the bar is closed for tonight. Kindly gather your belongings and leave, please. Now." Her words were polite but her tone left no room for arguments. The bar cleared out in less than a minute, the humans quickly picking up their jackets and bags and rushing out the door. When everyone had left, a guard stood watch at the door. "Godric. Miss de Beaufort." Nan greeted politely.

"Ms Flanagan." Godric greeted, standing up and climbing down off the stage. "How can I help you this evening?"

"Is Sheriff Northman here?"

"No. He is with Miss Santiago this evening."

"Oh how nice." She remarked dryly. She looked around the bar, taking in the décor. "You know, I've only ever seen pictures of this place. I had low expectations, and yet I'm still disappointed." She smirked at Pam, who was struggling to hold onto her irritation.

"Is there anything I could help you with, Ms Flanagan?" Godric offered.

She walked back over to him. "Do you know if your Progeny's human has changed her mind? About the Authority's offer?"

"I have not spoken to Eric regarding this matter. But I can say with almost absolute certainty that Miss Santiago's answer will still be 'no'. She is rather busy at the moment; she has her education, her work, and her grandmother has just been murdered. I do not believe she is looking to add to her workload by starting work for the Authority."

Nan laughed coldly. "Do you honestly think that the Authority cares for such things? They want the girl as a spokesperson. And what the Authority wants…"

"The Authority gets. Right." Pam finished.

Changing her tactic, Nan asked, "How can you not see what an opportunity this could be? The girl is the human to a 1,000-year-old Viking Sheriff-"

"You can't have her!" Godric interrupted harshly. But then cursed himself. He'd slipped up, and the smirk on Nan's face told him she knew.

"You seem awfully possessive of this girl, Godric the Gaul. I wonder why…?" She hummed thoughtfully. "When I visited the little human's house last night, Northman answered the door. Not too surprising. But then, a minute later, you emerged from upstairs. What were you doing at your Child's human's house, Godric? And why were you upstairs with her?"

"Eric and Miss Santiago were upstairs. I was simply-"

"Oh please, we're all grown-ups here; I think we can cut the crap. Is she your human too? I don't see why you need to hide it; two vampires sharing a human isn't illegal, or even uncommon. We've all done it." She added with a humourless laugh. But then she sobered, looking intently at Godric. "What are you hiding? Hmm? Who is this little human?" When Godric didn't answer, she shrugged casually. "Very well then, I suppose I'll have to ask Anamaria." She turned and started to leave, but Godric knew he couldn't let her go to Anamaria.

"She's our Mate." Nan stopped abruptly and slowly turned back around, clearly not having expected that answer. "She's mine and Eric's Mate. The three of us will form a Mated Triad."

It took Nan several seconds to respond but when she did, she laughed. It was almost joyful laughter, making her clasp her hands together as she looked between a hateful and glaring Godric and stunned Pam. "Oh this is Christmas. Did you know about this?" She asked Pam, who shook her head as she stared at her grand-Maker in shock. "Well then, this seals it. Godric the Gaul, a 2,000-year-old former Sheriff; Eric Northman, current Sheriff; and the human who has obliterated the reputation of the Fellowship of the Sun…This is wonderful." She laughed again. "Do you really think the Authority will leave you alone now?"

!"!

As Anamaria stood at Maxine and Hoyt Fortenberry's table taking their order, Maxine was thinking some choice things about her tattoos, and girls who had chosen such a form of self-expression. Ever the professional, Anamaria waited for them to finish ordering before speaking her mind.

'… _tattooed freak. First you colour your hair in that ridiculous clown design, then you go and mark yourself forever…'_

"Yes, Maxine, these tattoos are permanent on my skin, and I love that." Anamaria snarked as she finish writing their order on her pad. "I love that I can look at my forearm and be reminded of a song that saved my life. I like seeing the Cheshire cat and remembering that everyone in the world is unique and wonderful and mad in their own way."

"But they're so…" Maxine trailed off with a shudder.

Hoyt protested quietly, deeply embarrassed for his mother's behaviour. Hoyt was always such a sweet boy. "Mama!"

"They're 'not to your taste'." Anamaria insisted. "Just like your bottle blonde bleached hair isn't to my taste, but yet I keep quiet." She changed her tone and braced her hand on the table top, leaning in to Maxine. "Because I know that your personal choice of self-expression is none of my damned business. And I'd thank you to be a grown-up and keep your opinions about _my_ body to yourself. Now, do you want some onion rings while you wait for your burgers?"

Maxine was flabbergasted, just gaping at Anamaria like a fish. Hoyt answered quickly, "Yes please, Ana. Thank you."

"Coming right up." Without another word, she headed over to the kitchen and pinned their order on the wheel the chefs used. She called to Lafayette, "Babe, can I get two bowls of onion rings please? And if you drop the rings for one of the bowls all over the floor, that's fine with me." She drummed a beat on the work surface separating the kitchen from the restaurant, taking a sip of the energy drink she kept just on the other side of the short wall.

"You got it, hookah." Lafayette looked up at her from his spot at the stove, wolf-whistling at her. "Look at you, baby girl! Chicka-chicka-brah-rah! You look like a porn star with that tan, and pink lipstick!" Anamaria giggled and pouted her lips seductively. "This for yo date?" He winked at her, nodding his head over to Eric in the corner booth.

Anamaria chuckled. "I'd hardly call it a date, with him sitting over there on his cell and me running around working serving up fries, burgers and beer. And besides, if I wear make-up, I get better tips." She put the tip of her pen in the corner of her mouth and winked. She and Lafayette had always had such a playful and flirtatious relationship.

Lafayette laughed. "Yes, baby. These rednecks are suckers for packaging."

She groaned, wanting to throw her pen across the room. "You can say that again. All I've heard all night is either 'those tattoos are disgusting!' or 'damn, who knew she'd be so much hotter with ink?'. It's ridiculous. I suppose I might seem scarier now; I've got crazy hair _and_ mad ink."

"Nah, honey child, they ain't scared of you. They scared of what's between yo legs!" Arlene chose that moment to walk up to the pair of them, adding her own order to the wheel.

"Lafayette!" Anamaria gasped dramatically before pointing a serious finger at him. "That's nasty talk. I won't listen to that, not from you."

Arlene asked, "Do you even know what's between a woman's legs, Lafayette?"

"A good question, Arlene!"

"I've done it straight before! I don't see what all the fuss is about." The girls laughed. "And I do know that every man whether gay, straight, or George motherfuckin' Bush is _terrified_ of the pussy!"

Then Tara joined them as both girls cried out in laughter. "What the fuck are you guys talkin' about?"

"Pussy." Lafayette smiled at his cousin coquettishly.

"Lafayette, not everyone is gay. Okay? Not everyone wants to have sex with you." Arlene said seriously, but with a smile on her face.

"You'd be surprised, Arlene, the people you know…" He trailed off mysteriously, "That's all I'm saying." He winked at her.

"Well I don't wanna have sex with you." Tara shrugged.

"Me neither."

"Sorry babe, nought for three." Anamaria put in, snacking on a fry as she checked her phone. She had a text message from an unknown number: _'Any second thoughts about the Authority's offer? Think carefully now…'_ Frowning at it as it could only be from Nan Flanagan, she forwarded it to Eric before tucking her phone back in her apron.

Lafayette rolled his hips against the metal work station behind him, humping the table. "Nah, you bitches just don't know what you missing! I got six gears on this thing!"

Sam stalked over to them, telling them all to be quiet and to get back to work. They all had a final laugh and wink, before continuing with their work. Sam had been in a terrible mood all night, and it had only gotten worse since Eric had come in. He'd told Anamaria that it was only because he felt Eric was distracting her from her customers. She'd argued back that it was hard to be distracted when people essentially told her what they wanted through their thoughts; ' _there's no ketchup on my burger', 'this steak isn't cooked enough', 'where's my beer?'_. Sam had sulked off after that, grumbling at her to remember that she was on the clock. Anamaria had clicked her heels and given him an exaggerated salute behind his back.

Anamaria headed over to Eric's booth with another TruBlood. She knew he didn't like it but she hoped that if he drank enough, it would keep his bloodlust down. He was still on his cell and didn't look up at her approach, but she knew he was always listening and paying attention. "Who _are_ these people you work with?" He asked in bored disbelief, his fingers moving at vampire speed over the buttons on the mini keyboard of his phone.

She crouched down next to his table, resting her arms on the table, with her chin on her arms. "They can't be any crazier than the clientele of _Fangtasia_." She said quietly, wanting to keep the conversation private.

"You've actually only spent about an hour in my bar; don't judge too soon." He smirked. "Besides, you'll be spending more of your time there in the future, no doubt." He paused in his typing to give her a meaningful side glance.

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you still going on about that?"

He didn't respond immediately. When she thought he wasn't going to answer at all, she stood up and prepared to go back to work, but he spoke again. "So when you said you were a bartender…?"

"Oh for fuck sake! I am a bartender!"

"Then why are you not _tending_ the _bar_ , as _bartenders_ are supposed to do?"

She gritted her teeth and answered, "Because right now Tara's doing it."

He hummed. "And does 'right now' mean 'tonight', 'this week', 'for the foreseeable future'?"

"What does it matter to you whether I wait tables or do the bar?" She snapped irritably.

He put his phone down. "It matters that you're doing a more demeaning job than you should be."

"Eric-"

"One day your wild and irresponsible friend shows up-"

Tara had been behind Anamaria – something Eric obviously knew – and turned around from serving customer when he insulted her. "Hey!"

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I've seen your résumé: four jobs in the past twelve months, two of which you were fired." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "Your friend turns up and needs a job, so she steals yours?"

"Eric, I told you before! Tara didn't steal my job; I have a job."

"One that's below your station."

"My 'station'?" She asked in disbelief. Did he really just say that?!

"Come to _Fangtasia_ and be properly represented."

She scoffed. "As what?"

He shrugged. "Choose your title. _Executive assistant; Head of human resources; Owner's erotic workout partner_." He winked at her and she had to chuckle. "Take your pick."

"What's going on here?" Sam stood next to the table, his hands on his hips with a clear look of annoyance on his face.

"I'm conversing with my waitress." Eric answered simply.

"No, you're poaching my employee while she's working. I don't know how it's done in the vamp world, but here it's considered rude." He touched Anamaria's arm. "Ana, can you get back to work, please?"

She nodded. "Sure." As an afterthought, she asked, "Can you gentlemen behave in public?"

"Ana, just do it." Sam snapped.

"I advise you not to talk to her that way again, Merlotte." Eric threatened lightly, his gums itching as his fangs begged to come out.

"Listen here, Northman," Sam started dangerously, not backing down when Eric slowly stood up, "When she's in this bar wearing a _Merlotte's_ t-shirt, Ana's my employee and I pay her to do as she's told."

As much as she didn't like the way he was talking about her, Sam wasn't wrong. She _was_ at work and she _was_ being paid to do a job; she shouldn't really be talking to Eric about anything personal, especially not his offer of employment which would make her leave _Merlotte's_.

"You should be careful, Merlotte. I'm not some _dog_ who will roll over and take such disrespect."

Sam chuckled almost evilly. "You might not roll over for me, but Anamaria certainly has in the past."

And Eric lunged at Sam.


	21. Chapter 21

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 21**

Anamaria pulled up outside her house, pausing as she parked the car. After she turned off the engine, she just sat in the vehicle, leaning her head back against the headrest as she remembered the events of the previous night. After Sam had revealed in a very crude and disrespectful way to her kind-of-boyfriend – and everyone else in the restaurant – that they had slept together, said vampire boyfriend had attacked Sam. Tara, Lafayette and the ex-Marine Terry Bellefleur hadn't been able to pull Eric off Sam; the vampire had only released the other man because Anamaria had physically put herself between the two men, and Eric hadn't wanted to injure her. She'd told Eric to go, screaming at him to leave before he caused any more trouble. Eric Vamped out of the restaurant, but only after pulling Anamaria into a hard and dominating kiss even as the Latina struggled and pushed against him, obviously marking his territory in front of Sam and the whole restaurant, which had fallen silent during the brief fight.

Sam had started to shout at Anamaria, telling her that what she just saw was the true nature of vampires, how she wouldn't be safe with Eric, that he'd kill her in a heartbeat and then move on to the next fangbanger. Before he could say anything else, she had spun around with tears in her eyes and punched him straight on the nose. The hard and unexpected blow had knocked him back onto the table behind him, plates and glasses going everywhere as blood spurted from his face. Tara and Lafayette had tried to calm her down and hold her back, but she shoved them away, grabbed her belongings from Sam's office and left out the back way without another word to anyone.

When she'd gotten back home ten minutes later, Eric was sitting on the swing on the front porch as if nothing were wrong. She'd climbed out of her car and ignored him, intent on storming into the house and slamming the door in his face. As she was climbing the porch steps and hadn't acknowledged him, he'd Vamped in front of her.

" _Anamaria, you can't just ignore me."_

" _Leave me alone, Eric."_ She snarled, pushing past him and unlocking the front door. _"Just stay the hell away from me tonight."_

" _Have you forgotten there's a murderer in this town who has set his sights on you?"_

" _How could I forget?"_ She snapped, entering the house but turning around and holding the door half-closed before Eric could follow her inside _. "I don't want you in here tonight."_

" _Anamaria, don't be-"_

" _Don't make me rescind your invitation because you know I'll do it!"_ She shouted, fresh tears of anger and humiliation welling up in her eyes. _"If you want to stand outside until dawn then fine, but don't even think of stepping foot in this house!"_ Anamaria slammed the door in Eric's stoic face, locking it even as he watched her through the veiled glass window in the door. She had all but ran upstairs and into her bedroom, banging the door shut so hard it rattled against its frame. She hadn't been able to sleep very well, and every time she got out of bed and looked out her window, Eric was standing on the lawn beneath her bedroom. Thankfully he hadn't been facing the house, otherwise she probably would have flipped him the bird.

Back in the car, Anamaria turned her mind from Eric, but it circled back to Sam.

 _Three years earlier_

 _Their date was starting to wind down, and Anamaria had to admit to herself that she'd had a lovely time. The Sam outside of work wasn't that different to boss-Sam, but he had a great sense of humour, he was sweet, his thoughts were genuine, and he was actually interested in anything she had to say. That was four up on the guys from college Anamaria normally made herself have dinner with._

 _They were just finishing their shared coconut pie, and Anamaria put her fork down. "Come on, you're not eating your half!"_

" _No, you have it." He smiled._

 _She smiled back coyly. "We'll split the rest." She used her fork to divide the piece into two smaller parts, and ate a bite of her new portion._

" _Well I guess you saw this coming, huh?" He asked as he drank his coffee._

 _She swallowed the pie in her mouth and put the next bite onto her fork. "How d'you mean?" She grateful that Sam seemed only amused by her appetite; most of the other guys she'd dated hadn't liked girls who ate a lot, all of them preferring skinnier girls with figures that Anamaria would never be able to achieve, given her naturally wide hips and generous bust._

" _I told you you could take a look." He obviously referred to her telepathic abilities. "You've never done it?"_

 _She shrugged. "I have, from time to time. And I have to say, it's a little weird. You don't think the way others do." She chuckled nervously, not noticing how Sam's body stiffened slightly. "With most people, it's words and sentences. But with you, there are some words, but mainly it's images and waves of emotion."_

 _He scoffed. "I guess I'm just a freak."_

" _I was going to say 'mysterious'." She smiled. Their eyes met across the table and Anamaria felt herself warm slightly. In that moment, most guys' heads would have been filled with sexual images that would have ruined the moment for her, but true to her assessment of Sam, she received only a wave of want and arousal. She knew Sam had feelings for her, but she'd always ignored them, as she hadn't wanted to become involved with her boss, and had assumed that he would be like every other guy she had ever gone out with – full of charm and smile but was a misogynistic pig on the inside. But she wasn't getting that impression from him, not at all. "How come nobody knows anything about you, Sam?"_

" _Apart from you." He winked._

 _She could tell he was trying to distract her from her question. She pushed on. "Don't change the subject. I mean it. I never hear you talk about where you're from, or your family…"_

" _Where I'm from, the people who raised me…They got nothing to do with who I am now."_

 _She nodded heavily. "Well if anyone can understand that, it's me." They shared a brave smile and clinked their coffee cups together in a sarcastic toast. "Is that why you spend so much time alone?"_

 _He seemed surprised. "No. I think that's just 'cos I don't like people."_

 _She laughed. "You opened a bar; no-one opens a bar when they don't like people."_

" _Well maybe I just wanted to meet some pretty waitresses." He teased her with a wink._

 _She blushed. "Too bad you got yourself a few crazy ones instead."_

" _Ana," He started as he gently took hold of her hand, "There's nothing wrong with you." She smiled at him sceptically, but let him continue. "I don't understand why you'd want to change or hide anything. I wouldn't want you any other way."_

 _Almost overcome by the genuine affection behind his words, she joked, "You're just trying to get on my good side."_

" _How am I doing?" He winked._

 _She beamed. "Not too bad, boss."_

 _He smirked back, leaning back in his chair and drinking his coffee. "Finish it." He nodded his head to the last piece of pie on the plate between them. Kind of liking his authoritative tone, she obeyed and ate the pie, smiling nervously around a mouth full of whipped cream. They talked for another half an hour or so, before Sam paid the bill, insisting that Anamaria put away her purse and let him treat her, 'as a gentleman should to a lady'. Touched by his chivalry – which a quick dip into his head proved was sincere – Anamaria conceded and let him pay the full bill. He opened the door for her – another gesture she was unused to on dates – and let her step out first. When they were in the open air, he clicked his fingers nervously from behind her. "Well right now I'm glad you can't hear all my thoughts."_

" _Why?" She asked a little nervously._

 _As she turned around, he swooped down and captured her lips in a kiss. He held her hips gently, and she rested her hands on his muscled upper arms. It was a good kiss, a very good kiss. They were definitely compatible, Anamaria pondered as she let Sam walk her backwards a little until she leant back against the side of his car. He kissed her until they were both out of breath, and Anamaria quickly found herself missing his lips and tongue._

" _You okay? We going too fast?"_

 _She immediately shook her head. "No." She wanted him; she wanted more. "Your place or mine?"_

The sound of a car door slamming shut startled Anamaria from her memory. A tall and very well-built man walked past her car, obviously not knowing she was still sitting in the vehicle, walked up to the house and knocked on her front door. Anamaria looked behind her via the rear-view mirror. A dark blue van was parked behind her car. He was a contractor. From the clipboard in his hand, he meant business. Had Adele scheduled some renovations for the house before she died and forgotten to tell her?

She climbed out of the car and called out to the man. "Hello?" She shouted gently across the front yard. "Can I help?"

He turned around and Anamaria almost lost her breath. Talk about handsome…Dark shaggy hair fell around his ears, stubble to match, and a perfectly carved face. She forcefully reminded herself that she had two boyfriends/Mates – even if she was seriously pissed off at one of them – giving her head a little shake to clear the few lustful thoughts that were creeping in.

' _Northman said coloured hair and Latina. No wonder the girl's such a magnet for trouble.'_ From his accent, he wasn't from the local area. He was still Southern, that much was clear from his thick accent, but he definitely wasn't from Bon Temps or Shreveport. "Eric Northman sent me. I'm Alcide Herveaux." They walked towards each other, and he held out his large hand for her to shake, and she took it. He was so hot! Was he ill?

"Nice to meet you, Alcide Herveaux. What can I do with you-For you…" She blushed furiously as her slip of the tongue made him chuckle. She tried again, "What brings you to Bon Temps?"

"Northman said there's a problem with the washing machine."

Anamaria blinked slowly for several seconds, earning her a strange look from the beautiful stranger in front of her. "Eric sent you…For my washing machine?"

"Yeah. I've got a new one in my van, I'm supposed to put it in for you."

She blinked again, somewhere between confusion, embarrassment, gratitude and outrage. "That's your van?" She jerked her thumb to the blue van parked in front of the house.

He frowned a little, no doubt thinking she was incredibly stupid. "Yeah, it is. You okay?"

"Apart from a washing machine, you got anything else in that magical van of yours?" She asked tiredly, having a feeling where this was going.

He looked down at the clipboard in his hand. "Uh, yeah. I got a new washing machine, microwave, water heater, TV, and I'm taking a look at your stove too."

Anamaria groaned loudly, rubbing her temples to fight against the headache forming between her eyes. "Oh god…Mr Herveaux, I am so sorry Eric made you come here-"

"Northman said you wouldn't like it, and I'm supposed to tell you that the bill's already taken care of. I'm also not supposed to take 'no' for an answer, despite how stubborn you might be."

"Is there anything else you're 'supposed' to do?" She grumbled as she glared at him.

"I've got a list." He smirked as he gestured towards the house with his clipboard. "You gonna let me in, like a good girl?"

Anamaria flushed, cursing her arousal. Why couldn't she just control herself around this poor man! She swallowed thickly and mumbled, "I've got groceries in the car…"

"Come on then." He was already heading towards her old yellow car before she could object.

"You really don't have to-!"

"It's no trouble." He insisted casually, opening the trunk of her car and picking up all six plastic bags full of food. Anamaria wasn't a weak girl, but there was no way she could get that many bags at once. But being a contractor was obviously good for the body, judging by his muscled forearms and tall frame.

Anamaria quickly unlocked the front door and held it open for him. "Just put them in the kitchen, thanks." He walked on ahead of her into the kitchen, putting the bags down on the kitchen table. "I'm sorry about the state of the house…It's a long story…And I'm sorry it's so hot in here; I'm not leaving my windows open right now…That's another long story."

He shrugged. "It's fine. Where's the washing machine?"

He was obviously a man of few words, so she showed him the broken machine. As he got to work disconnecting the machine, she put the groceries away, trying to make idle chatter with him as they both worked. He answered some of her questions, but seemed intent on getting on with his job. It didn't really bother her; she just carried on with her chores.

After Alcide removed the washing machine from the house and brought the new one in, Anamaria offered him a drink. They sat down at the table – at her insistence – and snacked on lemonade and cookies.

"So how do you know Eric?" She asked, desperately curious about this man.

He didn't seem happy though. "My dad's contracting business hit a rough spot a few years ago; he went to Northman for a loan."

Even though he was her boyfriend/Mate, Anamaria winced and adjusted her legs under the table. "Wouldn't have been my first choice."

"You take what you can get in this world." Alcide said simply. "Northman said that he'll take what I'm charging off my dad's bill, at twice the price."

"That was nice of him…" Anamaria felt a little awkward, since it was so obvious that Alcide didn't like Eric.

"I suppose." He twiddled a cookie between his long fingers, looking down at the table. The atmosphere suddenly became a little tense. _'I hear you read minds. That true?'_

Anamaria chuckled and he raised his head. Lifting her glass to her mouth, she took a slow drink and directed her thoughts at him, ' _Yes it is._ '

Alcide reared back. ' _Holy shit!'_ Anamaria smiled again. She liked him. _'So we could have a conversation with us both sitting here, clam shut?'_

She shrugged. ' _Well it might be a little odd, but yes we could_.'

He said out loud, "I'll keep that in mind." Clearing his throat, he stood up. "I best put that new machine in for ya." He pushed his chair back under the table and headed into the laundry room, just next to the kitchen.

"I must say," Anamaria called out slightly louder than usual so he could hear her, "You got here quick."

"How'd you mean?" He called back.

"After our fight, I assumed Eric called you last night."

Alcide popped his head through the doorway between the two rooms. "No, he called a couple days ago; today was the soonest I could get here from Jackson with all the new stuff Northman wanted."

"Oh, right…" Feeling suddenly awkward, Anamaria changed the subject as she examined the new microwave's box. "You're from Jackson?"

They talked for another half an hour before Alcide said that he'd finished with the new washer. After that, he moved onto the water heater. He took out the old one, which was far rustier than Anamaria had thought possible, considering that the water wasn't that bad, and installed the new tank-less device. Anamaria followed his instructions and turned the kitchen taps on, to 'flush the system' and get the new heater working, then put in a load of laundry in the new and high-tech washing machine. All the while, Alcide was wiring in and tuning the new flat screen television. All in all, not a bad day.

!"!

The house was just starting to return to normal after a mad few hours cleaning after Alcide left just after five. There were still a few jobs she couldn't do herself, so she'd put Godric or Eric to use then. She was still furious with Eric about the events of the previous night, but she still tried not to feel like she would be taking advantage of them by remembering Eric's own words that she and her home were a reflexion on Godric and him; to have a Sheriff's human living in a house covered in mud made him look bad to other vampires.

A knock on the front door disturbed Anamaria's sweeping. Broom still in hand, Anamaria headed to the front door, pulling back the voile over the window in the door. To her surprise, it was Pam. She opened the door and looked at the vampiress. She wore a cream twinset and matching pencil skirt, with gentle make-up, looking nothing like she does at _Fangtasia_. Anamaria supposed that the Gothic appearance was for the customers and 'fangbangers'.

"May I come in?" Pam drawled in her rolling accent. It was predominantly Southern, but there was something – or several somethings – underneath it that Anamaria couldn't place. Rolling her eyes at the other woman's sarcastic tone, she opened the front door and extended an invitation. Pam eyed her broom. "Humans still use brooms?" She hummed. "I thought they would have gone away with the old wind-up telephone and three-wheeled cars. Why don't you get one of those Roomba devices?"

Anamaria just blinked as she closed the front door. "I'm a student who, up until recently, was living with a pensioner; we couldn't afford a Roomba. We don't all have rich vampire Makers to look after us and spoil us with clothes and shoes." She smiled to let Pam know she wasn't being too serious.

Pam hummed again. "Well speaking of clothes and shoes; get your shit together, we're going shopping."


	22. Chapter 22

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 22**

Anamaria headed to the front door, pulling back the voile over the window in the door. To her surprise, it was Pam. She opened the door and looked at the vampiress. She wore a cream twinset and matching pencil skirt, with gentle make-up, looking nothing like she does at _Fangtasia_. Anamaria supposed that the Gothic appearance was for the customers and 'fangbangers'.

"May I come in?" Pam drawled in her rolling accent. It was predominantly Southern, but there was something – or several somethings – underneath it that Anamaria couldn't place. Rolling her eyes at the other woman's sarcastic tone, she opened the front door and extended an invitation. Pam eyed her broom. "Humans still use brooms?" She hummed. "I thought they would have gone away with the old wind-up telephone and three-wheeled cars. Why don't you get one of those Roomba devices?"

Anamaria just blinked as she closed the front door. "I'm a student who, up until recently, was living with a pensioner; we couldn't afford a Roomba. We don't all have rich vampire Makers to look after us and spoil us with clothes and shoes." She smiled to let Pam know she wasn't being too serious.

Pam hummed again. "Well speaking of clothes and shoes; get your shit together, we're going shopping."

The Latina laughed. "Okay, I have to be honest; that is a sentence I never thought I'd ever hear you say to me. Ever."

"I mean it, Rainbow. Change your clothes," She waved her manicured hand distastefully at Anamaria's yoga pants and t-shirt, "Do something with that beautiful hair of yours," Whilst she'd been cleaning, Anamaria had pulled her hair up into a messy and chaotic bun atop her head, "And put something on those tiny feet."

"Hey, my feet aren't that tiny!"

Pam raised an eyebrow. "Really? What size are you?"

Anamaria paused. "Shut up." She moved through to the kitchen and put the broom away. When she came back into the foyer, Pam was still standing there, seemingly waiting for her. "Why are you here?"

"My, how rude!" Pam drawled sarcastically.

Anamaria sighed and asked through gritted teeth, "Might I ask why you are here this evening?"

"Godric and Eric have important business to attend to, so I'm on human-sitting duty."

Anamaria smiled cynically. "I'm almost touched you've deigned to grace me with your presence. What's in it for you?"

Pam chuckled. "I may or may not have Eric's credit card, which has a ridiculous amount of money on it. So, like I said before, change your clothes, do something with your hair and let's go shopping."

"Pam, I don't need – or want – Eric to buy me stuff. I don't know if you heard about last night but I'm really upset about it." Anamaria looked long and hard at Pam before giving in; she was not going to be able to outwait a vampire. She sighed again and started stomping upstairs. "If we're going shopping, why do I have to change my clothes now?"

"Because I will not be seen in public with someone dressed like that." She sniffed haughtily as she started following Anamaria upstairs.

"Bitch."

"Breather."

Anamaria stopped at the top of the staircase and looked back at Pam. "Yep, I like you."

!"!

"So what are we doing here exactly?"

They had driven – more like zoomed, given the speed at which Pam drove – down the freeway, Pam behind the wheel of her little sports car, no doubt a gift from Eric. Anamaria was grateful that her years of spinning around for dance classes had made her almost immune to motion sickness. After a while, they'd pulled onto a mall parking lot. "Monroe mall is now open until 4am, to 'accommodate Vampire-Americans'."

Anamaria looked up from her cellphone. "Please tell me you're not going to drag me around a mall until 4am. I have work in the morning. You know, that is if my boss hasn't fired me. And then I have to go to the bank, see what the state of the mortgage is."

Pam bit her tongue at the mention of the mortgage and changed the subject. "Yes, Eric told me about the little bust-up at that dive bar last night."

"What you don't know is that after Eric left, I punched Sam in the face."

Pam gasped dramatically, looking at the Latina with an impressed smirk on her face. "My, my, Rainbow, you are full of surprises!"

"Well, he all but called me a fangbanger! I was upset with Eric, and Sam started ranting about how I was no different to any other girl who goes to _Fangtasia_ , and Eric would eventually get bored with me, drain my blood, and move on to the next girl. That just pushed me over the edge. So, you know…Bam!" She fiddled with her earring as a morsel of shame ran through her.

Pam laughed. "Well, you needn't worry about getting to work early in the morning because _Fangtasia_ isn't open during the day." She smirked at the unimpressed Anamaria. "Yes, Eric told me about his offer."

She regarded the vampiress closely as Pam parked the car and turned off the engine. "You don't seem upset by it."

"Why would I be; it was my idea." With a satisfied smile, she got out of the car.

That shocked Anamaria. She struggled with her seatbelt, but eventually managed to exit the vehicle, hurrying after Pam as the vampire walked across the parking lot in her tall heels. "What do you mean 'it was my idea'?"

"I mean that the idea to have you work at _Fangtasia_ was mine. I don't know how that sentence could have confused you."

"You actually suggested to Eric that I work at _Fangtasia_?" She knew she was repeating herself but she was just so shocked that Pam would do such a thing.

Pam sighed dramatically. "Yes, why is that so hard to believe?"

"I just thought you hated humans?"

"Oh, I do." To Anamaria's immense surprise, Pam linked her arm through hers as they crossed the mall parking lot.

Anamaria tried not to sound too hopeful as she asked, "But you don't hate me?" She didn't dare ask if Pam liked her, but she'd settle for 'not hate'.

"Well, out of all the breathers I know, you're one of the least irritating." Coming from Pam that was definitely a compliment.

"Thank you." She said with genuine gratitude. If she was going to be start a relationship with the other woman's Maker and Grand-Maker, they should at least be civil to each other. "So you're not upset that I'm getting involved with Eric?"

The vampiress looked at her in curiosity. "Why would that upset me?"

"Well, he's your Maker, and up until now it's just been you two-"

"Rainbow," Anamaria smiled at her apparent new nickname, "It's been 'just me and Eric' for a century now. Tag, you're it." She drawled sarcastically. Anamaria tittered. "Just don't do anything to hurt him, or I'll rip out your spine."

"I believe you." As they entered the mall, Anamaria saw that there were still quite a few people around and most of the shops were still open. "So what are we here for?"

"Work clothes for you. But first, you'll need sugar; this is going to be a long night for you, Rainbow." Anamaria groaned loudly but let Pam lead her over to a slushy vendor – she couldn't really fight against the vampire, who would probably just pick her up if she resisted. Pam ordered Anamaria a large strawberry slushy, and even paid for it. "It's all on Eric tonight." She gave her an evil grin as she handed the human the frozen sugary beverage. "Drink up; you'll need it."

Anamaria thanked Pam, even though she didn't really want the slushy. "Is Eric thinking he can buy my forgiveness with new clothes and shoes and shit? Because that ain't gonna work with me." She spooned a mouthful of the frozen drink into her mouth. Quite nice, but very sweet. She'd have to pound the treadmill in the morning to work it off. Unless she could get Eric and/or Godric to…

"My, my, what _are_ you thinking about?" Pam teased as they walked through the mall.

Anamaria blushed. "What?"

"Your heart just started racing and your pupils have dilated. Something on your mind?" She taunted with a wink.

"Shut up, Pam." She grumbled, having some more slushy. They walked in silence for a few seconds before Anamaria spoke again. "Now when you say 'work clothes', you mean-?"

"Things you can wear at _Fangtasia_."

The shorter woman groaned again. "Pam, I'm not working at _Fangtasia_."

"Why not?" Was she actually pouting?

"Because I already have enough shit on my plate without heaping on another pile of other shit too." She explained roughly.

"Like what?" Pam demanded. She was definitely pouting!

Anamaria rolled her eyes. Telling people her problems was starting to become a regular occurrence. "The mortgage, bills, my college work, work at _Merlotte's_ , not to mention the fucking Authority breathing down my neck about becoming their new poster girl." Pam seemed to sulk. "What would I even do at _Fangtasia_? You have vampires working on the bar who'd be much faster than me, so I doubt it's that."

"The idea was that you'd be like a watchdog."

Anamaria stopped walking beside Pam and glared at her. "A watchdog?"

"Yeah." The vampire didn't seem to register her offence. "You'd keep an ear out for any minors, anyone doing V, people looking to cause trouble… A watchdog."

"Uh gee, while that sounds amazing," Anamaria made sure to be as sarcastic as possible, "I think I have other stuff to do."

"There's no point resisting, Rainbow; what Eric wants, Eric gets. And ever since I planted this little seed, he's adamant that you should work at the club. That dive bar _Merlotte's_ is far too cheap for you."

"Why? I honestly don't get it when Eric says stuff like that. Before, he said that _Merlotte's_ was 'below my station'. What station? What the hell's he talking about?"

"Rainbow," Pam stopped her and put her hands on the Latina's shoulders, looking her deep in the eye, "You are a Mate. No, scratch that, you're one of a Triad of Mates. That means you're pretty fucking important in the vampire world. Okay? To have a Mate is a fairy tale for vampires; you're basically soul mates, but so much more. The last Mated Pair lived over 500 years ago; they were two nobodies from nowhere who accomplished nothing in their lives, and they were, and still are, revered for being Mates. _You_ have Godric the Gaul – Boy Death himself – and Eric fucking Northman as your Mates. You're special, alright?" Anamaria was stunned into silence, staring back at Pam. She hadn't thought of it like that. Perhaps she was taking this 'relationship' for granted? "Now come on, let's get you some corsets."

!"!

"I'm not sure about this one, Pam." Anamaria called from within her changing cubicle as she eyed the black latex bodice Pam had told her to try on.

They had ended up at a high-end Goth clothing store. Anamaria hadn't known that a Goth shop could be classed as 'high-end' but when she saw the price tags and stuck-up sales assistant, she knew she was wrong. Classical music played in the private dressing rooms, and Pam was in the seating lounge on the other side of the wooden door.

"Don't be such a spoil-sport, Rainbow. You can never go wrong with a little black latex."

"Don't paraphrase Coco Chanel to suit your needs, Pam; it's blasphemous." Anamaria chided teasingly as she put on the floor-length robe the store provided. Her heart sank when she saw the rack of various corsets, bodices, skirts and pants Pam had selected from the store's front. "Are those all for me to try?" She didn't know why she bothered asking, she knew the answer was going to be–

"Yes. Now try this." The vampire held out another corset that was trimmed with dark red lace.

"Has anyone ever told you you're a bit bossy, Pam?"

"No, never." Anamaria rolled her eyes at the dry tone but headed back into the dressing room with the next item. "So while I was looking through your abysmal selection of Wal-Mart clothes at your house, I noticed something."

Anamaria knew where this was going. "I don't wear skirts or shorts or shirts with no sleeves."

"Why ever not?"

"Long story."

"Do tell. Horrific scars?" Instead of verbally answering, Anamaria opened the changing room door just a fraction and slipped a bare leg through the gap, whistling to Pam. "Oh I say." Footsteps approached her and cool fingers took hold of her ankle. "Well those are different. And colourful."

"I like colour." She tugged her ankle out of Pam's hand and took off the uncomfortable corset, slipping her t-shirt bra back on. Wearing just her bra and boxer briefs, she stepped out of the changing room. She trusted Pam, and besides: just because the vampire was a lesbian, didn't mean that Pam was going to take advantage of her. "What do you think of these?" She teased, giving Pam a twirl so she could see her arm and back tattoos.

Anamaria looked briefly concerned when Pam's fangs dropped, but the other woman didn't move. "Now why couldn't I have Claimed you first?" She asked petulantly.

The Latina laughed, taking the next corset the vampiress held up. "Sorry, Pam, I don't like girls that much. They're okay from time to time but not as a steady diet." She smirked at Pam's surprised and impressed face. "I go to college; I've experimented." She winked, slipping back into the cubicle with the next outfit.

"And?" Pam asked in a teasing drawl, now looking through a selection of underwear for the Latina – one of Eric's conditions for giving her an unlimited spending budget for the night.

"Meh. Six outta ten, and her nails were kinda sharp. Not a pleasant sensation against my rather delicate areas!"

"Oh, Rainbow, you and I are going to be _very_ good friends."

Anamaria smiled. "You know, I'm glad of that. I mean, I'm getting involved with your Maker and your Grand-Maker…"

"How's that going, by the way?"

"It's going, I think…"

Pam picked up on the Latina's hesitation. "What is it?"

Anamaria paused a moment and opened the changing room door, leaning against the doorframe. It wasn't out of embarrassment – she knew that nothing would shock or offend Pam – she just wasn't sure how much she could, or was allowed, to reveal. "I kind of thought that things would have, uh, _sped up_ a little by now."

"Sped up? How?" Anamaria blushed. "Oh, you mean sex. You three haven't had sex yet."

"No. Is that…Normal?"

"For who? Eric and Godric? Or vampires in general?"

She shrugged. "Any. All."

"Well, I can't speak for vampires as a whole – we are individuals, after all – and I'd never met Godric until he came to Shreveport with Eric. But for Eric to wait this long to have sex with a human," She bobbed her head a few times as she considered, "It's never happened before. However, you have to bear in mind that none of those guys and gals were Eric's Mate. Maybe he and Godric just want to take it slow, not rush anything."

"Are there any protocols I need to know? As their human?"

"Sweetie," Pam started with an unfortunate undertone, "There are no guidelines or protocols for Mates. In the past, Mates have really just been allowed to do as they please; they're like royalty, and historically speaking, they've done amazing things for our kind, so the rules are rather loose. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about the sex - those boys know what they're doing - it's the feeds I'd worry about if I were you."

"What, why?"

"Well, you can't possibly hope to sustain the both of them."

For some reason, Anamaria felt quite insulted. "Why not?"

Pam looked at her closely, as if waiting for a punchline she wasn't going to receive. "You seriously haven't thought about this?"

"Uh…"

"Rainbow," Pam trailed off in some form of disappointment, "How can you not have thought about these things?"

Anamaria's hackles went up. "Well I've never had a threesome relationship with two vampires before!" She snapped violently.

Pam scoffed. "Well, the three of you need to sit down and talk about all this. Not normally the course of action I'd recommend but in this case, you three seem to be doing everything in the wrong order. First things first: blood. Now I'm going to say something you obviously won't like, Rainbow: despite Eric and Godric both being classed as 'ancient' vampires and not needing as much blood as younger ones, you cannot singlehandedly keep both of them fully sustained all the time."

Anamaria tried to protest, but Pam put a finger on her lips. "Here's the math: Godric probably only need a pint or so a week; Eric needs at least two, maybe three to keep in top form. That's four pints a week. Blood donors for hospitals can only donate one pint every eight weeks, because that's how long it takes for the human body to replenish a pint of red blood cells. Your body simply cannot produce enough to feed both your vampires in a week, every week, forever, even if you chug down all the iron tablets and B12 vitamins in the world and gorge on red meat." She paused to let that seep in. "So, if they're not feeding from you, how will they feed?"

"TruBlood?"

Pam grimaced. "Godric may be okay with that but Eric certainly won't be. Do you know how vile that shit is? And despite what the Authority would have you humans believe, TruBlood is just not as effective as good wholesome human blood."

"Pam," Anamaria flustered, putting her hand to her forehead, "This is a bit much-"

"I'm sorry, Rainbow, but you've not got time for that. There's shit for you to do."

!"!

Eric and Godric sat in front of the Viking's laptop in his office at _Fangtasia_ , video-calling the Authority. They hadn't wanted to, but they had received word from the Head of the Authority themselves that a meeting was needed. Apparently Nan Flanagan had made good on her threat and informed her bosses about a possible new Mated Triad. Both vampires had been required for the call, hence why they had asked Pam to spend the night with Anamaria in their stead. The Authority had originally asked/demanded that Anamaria also attend, but Eric and Godric knew that the situation would be too dangerous and uncertain to involve her, so they'd made excuses on her behalf.

The laptop screen in front of them was black - as expected - but they knew the Authority could see them on their end. It was a typical Authority tactic, designed to unsettle anyone they interviewed. Eric hated that it was working. The Authority was dangerous and unpredictable - as proved by his own appointment as Sheriff of Area Five all those years ago. Anything could happen as a result of this meeting, should it go poorly.

 _"Godric. Sheriff Northman."_ A distorted and altered voice came through the laptop. Godric wanted to roll his eyes: of course they'd disguise their voices, no doubt just another scare tactic. " _Nice of you to join us."_

"Chancellors." Both vampires chorused with a bow of their heads. "How can we be of service?"

 _"This isn't a social call!"_ Another distorted voice snapped. They couldn't even tell if it were a male or female.

 _"Indeed. You've been keeping secrets, gentlemen. How is Ana this evening?"_

At the mention of her name - a threat - Eric's fangs dropped. Godric answered in his Child's place. "While we do not deny that we did not inform you of our Mate, that itself is no crime."

 _"And you would be correct, Godric; you have done nothing illegal. However, surely you do not think that the Authority would not like to know when a new Mated Pair - a Triad, even! - has been discovered?"_

"There have been extenuating circumstances." Eric said smoothly as he put his fangs away.

 _"So we hear. Your Mate's adoptive grandmother was murdered, by the same culprit who has slain two other women in the town."_ It surprised neither vampire that the Authority would know this. _"What is being done about this?"_

Both vampires resented the implication that they were doing nothing to catch the killer. "Well we can hardly go around Glamouring the whole town..."

 _"Let's keep the sarcasm to a minimum, shall we gentlemen. This killer needs to be dealt with, legally. After that, Miss Santiago can begin her work with us."_

If Eric's heart had still worked, it would have skipped a few beats. "So you do want her to become a representative for the Authority?"

 _"Of course we do! Since she released that video, support for the Vampire Rights Amendment has increased in almost every State!"_

 _"She's young, with fresh ideas. She'll help bring the Vampire Rights movement into the twenty-first century."_

Godric sent Eric a wave of caution through their bond. "I do fear that Anamaria doesn't have a lot of free time at the moment. I believe her exams and performance schedule will become rather chaotic in the near future - as you know, she is in her final year at college and-"

 _"Godric! We are talking about the future of our race! I think that takes precedence over some dance recitals."_

"Anamaria must agree to anything you suggest. You cannot compel her to work for the Authority if she does not desire it." Eric pointed out smartly.

 _"Northman is right. If we forced her, she could leak another video telling of the pressure asserted upon her by vampires. Then our movement would be back to square one."_

 _"Well it's obvious this girl can't be trusted! She could leak all kinds of information!"_

"She would not," Godric assured them, "But only if she is not pressured or forced in any way. She has proven that she has connections and friends of her own, all within the younger generation."

 _"I fail to see why the girl is even necessary. Do you know just how low youth voter turnout is?"_

 _"The younger generations should never be ignored in politics. They are all too easily overlooked, and yet they are the people who will live with the results for the longest time. Just take a look at the UK."_

 _"We're getting off topic. Godric, Northman, we want to meet your Mate; the killer in Bon Temps must be legally detained; and you need to work on convincing Miss Santiago to become a voice for the Authority. Make it happen, gentlemen."_


	23. Chapter 23

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 23**

Anamaria headed over to Merlotte's early the next morning, her heart racing as she pulled up out the back and headed into the restaurant through the back door. She quietly slinked down the back corridor, making a beeline for Sam's office. She didn't know how long she waited outside before she summoned the courage to knock on the door. The familiar accent called out a brusque 'yeah!' and she opened the door a little, poking her head through the gap.

"Can we talk?" she asked, mostly to the floor.

Sam looked up when he heard her own Mexican-infused accent, and put down the pencil he was holding. He was filling out paperwork, and Anamaria only hoped it wasn't a pink slip for her. "Uh, yeah, sure. Come on in."

She stepped inside the office properly, closing the door behind her. He stayed seated in the chair at his desk, crossing his hands over his stomach. She winced when she saw his black eyes and tape on his nose. "Oh fuck, Sam! I'm sorry I hit you."

He took a breath through his mouth. "I said some really shitty things to you. They were disrespectful and unprofessional. I'm sorry too." They both nodded their heads to show their mutual acceptance of the apologies. "So, you going to work for Northman now?"

Anamaria looked back to him, a frown on her face. "I don't want to work at _Fangtasia_ , Sam." She paused, then continued. "Do I need to look for another job?"

He shrugged. "Not as far as I'm concerned."

The awkward silence dragged on for a while, before Anamaria spoke up again. "Mind if I…?" she gestured with her thumb to the armchair in the corner of his office. He shook his head, scooting his own chair a little closer to her. She settled into the comfortable seat, adjusting her jacket for a second before looking back to Sam. "I think we need to talk about 'us'."

Sam was visibly uncomfortable and gave a weak cough, but nodded. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You're in love with me."

He didn't try to deny it. "Ana, I've loved you for a long time now."

"I know." There was a heavy moment between them. "We shouldn't have had sex." At that point, Sam did open his mouth to protest, but she cut across him firmly. "No, it was wrong. I think I gave you false hope about how I felt about you, when – in reality – I only slept with you because… Well, that was what I did with guys at the time." She hung her head in shame and embarrassment. "It wasn't that long after my suicide attempt and I still wasn't happy with life, so I just did whatever normal people seemed to do. Meet people, go on dates, have sex with people who like you… I used you, Sam. And that was wrong, and it was disrespectful to you. Worse, it was cruel. I feel like I've been stringing you along these past few years, flirting with you and teasing you about your feelings for me. I've always known how you feel about me, and I've always known how I feel about you and what I don't feel _for_ you. I'm not in love with you Sam, I never have been, and I sincerely doubt I ever will be. But I value our friendship, and that's why I'm being so honest with you now. Because you don't deserve a girl who can't be honest about her feelings for you." By the end of her speech, there were a few sad and ashamed tears in her eyes, but she kept them back.

Sam breathed heavily for a few seconds, sighing and groaning as he held back his own emotions. He stood from his chair and paced his office, digging the toes of his shoes into the rug, or leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. "I'm a shapeshifter."

Anamaria's head snapped up. She wasn't expecting that… "What?"

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yeah. I, uh, turn into animals. Here, I'll show you." He toed off his shoes and pulled his shirt over his head. Anamaria didn't react when he unbuckled his belt, knowing he wouldn't hurt her, but did look away when he dropped his jeans. There was a shift in the air, then a bark came from Sam's side of the room. Anamaria looked back. There sat a familiar looking English Shephard dog, looking at her expectantly.

"Dean?" Anamaria balked. "You're… You're Dean the dog?" She floundered for a second, watching as the dog turned back into Sam before her eyes. "You… I've rubbed your belly!"

Sam laughed a little as he pulled his underwear back on. "No, that was an actual dog, also called Dean. We're good friends."

Anamaria slumped back in the seat, still processing what she just saw. How had life gotten so complicated? "So, is it just dogs, or…?"

"Dogs, cats… Birds too, but flying's a little tricky. Uh, horses, cows… Pretty much whatever I want."

"And you can hold it for as long as you want?"

Sam nodded, buttoning his shirt. "Mostly. It wears off when I fall asleep."

When Sam was sat back down, they sat in silence for a minute or so. Anamaria eventually asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Sam looked up. "What do you mean? I thought you deserved to know."

"But why tell me now? Why not tell me years ago when we became friends? Or when we slept together?"

"Why do you think I might be telling you this now?" he snapped.

"I don't know, Sam!"

"Because I'm still in love with you, dammit!" Yet another tense silence fell between them, only Sam's heavy breathing filled the air. Eventually he slumped back into his chair.

Anamaria looked down at her hands in her lap, awkwardly picking at her fingernails. "Are you telling me now because I'm involved with Eric and Godric?" she asked, but she already knew. When he didn't answer, it only confirmed her suspicions. "Why? Because you think it makes you more interesting or something? Before, when I thought you were only human, you think I thought you were boring?"

"You do think I'm boring, Ana."

She shook her head. "That's not true, that's never been true!"

"Then why-?"

"Because we wouldn't be good together, Sam! Think about it. We'd just make each other miserable. We argue so much, and look at what happened when things got a bit too heated – you said some horrible things to, and about, me, and I gave you a black eye and broke your nose! What would happen if we _were_ together? We'd be one of those couples that constantly fights and only stays together because it's what they think they have to do."

Anamaria let that sit for a few minutes before adding, "Besides, I don't think it'll be possible for me to have a normal life with a normal man. Eric, Godric and I are Mates; we're destined to be together, and I'm looking forward to it. I _want_ to be with them. And I know you don't like it or understand it, but please respect it. I _want_ to be with them-"

"You don't even know who they are, Ana!"

"We have time for that, we'll figure it out," she cried forcefully and then sneered at him sarcastically. "And you want to talk about me not knowing someone, Sam? _Really_? Where do you come from? Who were your family? Why did you come to Bon Temps? Why did you open this bar? Why don't you ever talk about yourself? You talk about me not really knowing Eric and Godric – and that's true, I don't yet – but I don't know who you are either."

Sam sighed in defeat, leaning back in his chair. The two of them sat in awkward silence for over five minutes before Sam eventually spoke again. "Look, why don't you have the day off? Paid, obviously. You've been working a lot lately and I know you've got college work to do."

She smiled gratefully. "Thank you. I actually have to go into town today, and I _do_ have a lot of work to catch up on."

"Fine. I've got a new girl starting tonight."

"New girl?" Anamaria asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah. She came in a few nights ago and asked for a job. Apparently, she's staying with Bill Compton."

Anamaria realised that she hadn't heard from the mentioned vampire in a while. Not that she was complaining. "What's her name?"

"Jessica. Jessica Hamby, and she's a vampire."

The Latina whistled. "Wow, that's a big step for you. Glad to see you're becoming a progressive."

Sam grumbled, "Whatever."

!"!

That evening, Anamaria was just setting out her hair dyes in the bathroom when there was a knock at the front door. Tugging down her old and dye-stained t-shirt, she headed downstairs and peeled back the voile over the window in the door. It was Pam. Anamaria smiled and opened the door, noting the many shopping bags and boxes the vampiress held in her perfectly manicured nails.

"Evening, Pam."

"Rainbow," the vampire greeted, stepping inside. "What the hell are you wearing?" She sneered as she eyed the old t-shirt.

"You actually caught me as I was about to do my hair," Anamaria explained.

Pam's face lit up like a Christmas tree and she hurriedly put all the bags down. "Oh, let me do it, Rainbow!" Anamaria blinked in surprise. "I'd love to get my hands on that masterpiece of yours." She stepped closer and started running her fingertips through Anamaria's loose curls, examining them closely.

"Uh, Pam, do you know how hard it can be to do hair like this?"

Pam scoffed. "Do you know how long I've been doing mine and Eric's hair? I can handle this, Rainbow, I promise!"

Seeing that Pam wasn't going to back down, knowing her hair did need doing, and recognising the potential bonding opportunity that a girls' night with Pam would offer, Anamaria smiled. "Alright then, let's do it. I've got all the stuff set up in the bathroom."

Pam was practically giddy as she picked up the shopping bags and vamp-sped up the stairs, leaving Anamaria to close and lock the front door and follow on behind. Pam had already brought the stool from Anamaria's vanity table into the bathroom, and was holding out a towel to wrap around Anamaria's shoulders. The Latina laughed as she sat on the stool and let Pam drape the towel around her, lifting her hair out from under it.

"So, you did Eric's new hair?"

"Doesn't he look so much hotter than before?"

Anamaria chuckled. "Yeah. Not that he wasn't hot before, but he does look much better now."

"Well I had to cut it much shorter than we'd planned, but he got blood all in the dyes, so…" Pam trailed off in a sulk, gently brushing Anamaria's hair. "Are we taking anything off the ends here?"

"No, just the colour, please." Anamaria paused. "How did he get blood in the dyes?"

"Oh, just dealing with some boring Sheriff business. Some V dealers, or whatever. I wasn't really listening." Pam sounded nonchalant, but something bad settled in Anamaria's stomach. She made a note to call Lafayette as soon as she could. "How long have you had your hair like this?"

Anamaria shrugged. "Ages. About seven years?"

Pam frowned, running her fingers through the silky locks. "And you bleach the roots?"

"No. I'm naturally blonde anyway, so the dyes take really well."

"How do you keep it so soft?" Pam marvelled at the Latina's hair for a second. "It feels amazing, and I can't see any split ends or signs of colour damage."

"I don't know. Just lucky, I guess."

' _No-one's that lucky'_ , Pam thought. She recovered and looked over the bowls of dyes on the counter. "So, pink, green, blue, purple. Just going over the old colours and up to the roots?"

Anamaria nodded. "Sounds good."

!"!

"God, I need to have sex soon," Anamaria pouted as she watched Pam paint her toes. It always tickled when someone else did it, but Pam had the steadiest hands between them and hadn't messed up a single stroke. "I'm starting to get crabby."

Pam just laughed, dipping the brush in the pot for more varnish. "You know what, Rainbow, I can think of two vampires who would be very happy to help you out with your _crabbiness_ ," Pam winked. Anamaria hesitated and looked away for a second. "What is it?"

Anamaria took a few seconds to find the right words. "I don't know how to approach them about it. I can't… I can't _read_ them, like I can other guys."

"Read? You mean, read their thoughts?"

Anamaria nodded. "I can't hear vampire thoughts, so I have no idea what's going on inside their heads. It's just that, in the past, with the human guys I've dated or just hooked up with, I knew exactly what they wanted and how they wanted it. Sure, it's annoying and a bit disgusting at times to suddenly get accosted with mental images of myself on my knees or with my ass in the air while I'm in the supermarket – because one of the fruit section guys has a thing for me. But at least with those guys, I know how they work, what they want… But with Eric and Godric," she paused, "I can't read them. I don't know what they're thinking. Some part of me loves that – a bit of peace and quiet. But the other part-"

"Can't deal with not knowing how to handle them," Pam finished with a knowing nod.

"Exactly. Plus, they both have amazing poker faces."

Pam hummed in thought. "Well, I can't really speak for Godric, because I don't know him that well, but with Eric, it's always best to just come out and say what you want. He doesn't have many limits when it comes to sex. If you want him to spank you and tie you up and let you call him Sir or Daddy, or let you tie him up and have him call you Mistress or Princess or Goddess or whatever, you only have to say." Anamaria laughed at Pam's examples, even though some of them seemed quite appealing. "With Godric, I do think you can be honest with him, too. He's over two-fucking-thousand years old; he's been there, done that, and got the t-shirt."

Anamaria nodded. "But that brings me to another wrinkle."

Pam groaned. "What wrinkle? You want to have sex, they want to have sex with you, so just do it!"

"What if I'm not good enough?" Anamaria asked seriously. Pam just stared at her. "I've only had sex with, like, five guys. Only one of which was really any good. What if I'm boring, or frigid, or I don't do it right-?" Anamaria was going to carry on, but Pam pressed a manicured finger to the Latina's lips.

"A, don't ever call yourself frigid again. B, 'only' having sex with five guys is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of. C, who was the one good guy? And on a more serious note: D, you, Eric and Godric have the rest of your lives to figure the sex out. Every relationship has a learning curve, and I'm sure the guys will do things with you that you'll need to correct them on. Being too rough or too fast or not fast enough… You just have to work through any 'wrinkles'. What's the alternative? Never have sex with them because you're afraid you won't be any good at it?" Pam scoffed. "I think I know what Eric'd say if you suggested that."

Pam screw the top back on the nail varnish. "You want my advice, Rainbow?"

Anamaria smiled. "Yes please, Pam."

"Just tell them. 'Guys, I'm really horny and we should have lots of sex right now'. Bada-bing, bada-boom. Crabbiness resolved."

Anamaria chuckled, wiggling her painted toes happily. "Thanks for tonight, Pam. It was nice."

Pam patted the girl's knee as she got to her feet. "No problem, Rainbow. For a human, you're okay." She checked her Tiffany wristwatch, and then her cell. "Godric says Eric's a few minutes away. I've got to head back to Fangtasia, then when I get there, Godric will head here. Lucky girl – thirty minutes alone with Eric, and then you can have both your vampires with you."

Anamaria blushed as she escorted Pam to the front door. "Thanks again, Pam."

The vampire surprised Anamaria by pulling her into a hug. "See you around, Rainbow. And let me know how tonight goes!"

Anamaria watched Pam head to her car, and then drive away. Only a few seconds later, another set of headlights came down the driveway. When the car was close enough, Anamaria recognised Eric's red Corvette. The car's engine turned off, and Eric climbed out. Anamaria took a deep breath, wondering what the night would bring…


	24. Chapter 24

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TRUE BLOOD!**

 **Divine Intervention**

 **Chapter 24**

Anamaria fought against the urge to chew on her thumbnail as she watched Eric walk up to her house. He looked like sin, dressed in his usual black jeans and leather jacket. Anamaria hoped he couldn't hear how fast her heart was now beating, but gave that up as a lost cause. The smirk on his face told her he knew exactly what effect his presence was having on her.

"Evening, Anamaria," he said smoothly, in his gorgeous, soft Nordic accent.

She had to swallow. "Evening, Eric." She was about to step back so that he could enter the house, but his hand reached out and cupped the back of her neck, as he leaned in to kiss her.

Normally, Anamaria would have slapped any man who tried to kiss her without asking first. But just this once, she was more than happy to let him have a kiss. If Eric were surprised that Anamaria accepted his kiss, he didn't show it. Instead, they both relished the gentle and passionate exchange, with Anamaria resting her hands on Eric's trim waist. He was a little too tall for her to comfortably put her arms around his neck, not without ruining the moment with awkward movements and balancing on tiptoes.

When Anamaria had to pull away for air, Eric smirked again. "No slap? You do surprise me."

She playfully hit his chest. "Shut up, or I'll put silver in a TruBlood," she threatened with a smile. He chuckled, then paused. Leaning in, he sniffed her hair. She answered his question before he asked, "Pam came over to drop off my things from last night, then she insisted that she do my hair. My nails, too." She took his hand and led him inside, shutting the door behind them.

"Pamela being friendly?" Eric joked, with playful suspicion.

"I think she wanted me to look nice for you, for tonight," Anamaria teased, blushing furiously.

Eric arched an eyebrow. "What's tonight?" Instead of answering, she grasped his leather jacket and pulled him down to her lips again. Eric kissed her for a second before pulling back. "Don't tease me, woman," he growled.

"I'm not." She shook her head, a little aroused by his animalistic sound. "Tonight. I want tonight to be… I want it to be tonight," she whispered through a thick throat. Eric growled again, smashing his lips to hers and tightly holding her curvy hips. Before the vampire could go any further, Anamaria pulled her head back a little. "I want to wait for Godric, though. Can we just make out until he gets here?"

Eric laughed against her cheek. "Only you would phrase such a request like that."

"Well, how have other girls asked in the past?" Eric pulled back and regarded her closely, looking for any sign of upset or anger. Anamaria gave an easy smile. "I know I'm not the first, Eric. Frankly, after 1,000 years, it would be weird if I were!"

He just stared at her for a second, then shook his head with a chuckle. "You really are a strange one." He laced his fingers through hers and headed into the living room. He seated himself on the middle cushion of the three-seat sofa and started to pull her onto his lap, but Anamaria sat on the arm of the sofa instead, resting her feet against Eric's thigh.

"So," she prodded, "how did girls usually ask for a stay of execution?"

Eric just rolled his eyes. "Do you really want to talk about mine and Godric's past lovers?"

"Well, I don't need names and dates, but I'm secure enough in myself not to worry about past experiences. I know I'm not the first and you know you're not mine, and hopefully we can discuss this like adults."

Eric thought on her words. "Alright. While Godric and I have indeed had many joint experiences with the same person or people, you are the first one to whom we are both committed. Typically, the human belonged to one of us and the other only came in as an infrequent guest."

"By the human's request, or…?"

"50-50. Sometimes they would suggest it, sometimes we would."

"And there was never any jealousy or insecurity?" Anamaria sounded bewildered and sceptical.

"Not from Godric or myself. To use your words, little one: we were secure enough in ourselves and in our Bond that such petty feelings never arose. Occasionally, the human would get a taste for the other vampire and would want to trade ownership or to become a permanent threesome, but as I said before, Godric and I have never fully shared a human."

Anamaria was nodding along calmly with his stories. "Any particular reason why not?"

"Several, some of which may offend you."

She raised an eyebrow. "As a woman or a human?"

Eric shrugged carelessly. "Both. Humans are clingy. Their short lives lead them to cling desperately to anyone or anything that will have them. Even though human life expectancy was nowhere near as long as it is today, the idea of being with a human for the entirety of their life… Growing old, becoming lined and sagging, decaying before our eyes…" Eric shuddered, surprising Anamaria with the humanity of the voluntary gesture, "Such a fate is repulsive to us."

Anamaria nodded, even as she thought of her own inevitable 'decaying'. "And the other reasons?"

"Simply that we never wanted to. We have never met a human upon whom we agreed was sufficiently interesting or worthy to be shared by us permanently."

"Until now," Anamaria quipped.

Eric smirked and nodded. "Until now."

Wanting to move the conversation on before things got too awkward or intense, Anamaria looked at her watch. "So, we have about fifteen minutes before Godric should be here. Wanna make out?" she asked with a cheeky wink.

Eric just looked at her, a deep lust in his eyes. "Get over here, woman." Anamaria leant forward from the arm of the sofa, bringing her mouth only an inch from his. There was a knock at the front door. Eric slumped back and cursed in Swedish. "Who the fuck is that," he snarled.

"Don't be impatient, Viking," Anamaria scolded playfully, getting off the sofa and heading to the front door. She opened it and smiled. "Godric," she said, a little breathless, "you're early. We weren't expecting you for another fifteen minutes."

He stepped over the threshold when she invited him inside. "I flew over, knowing Eric brought his car. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" He spoke with regret but his face held a teasing smirk.

"Terrible timing, as always, Maker," Eric called from the living room.

Godric laughed, taking Anamaria's hand and walking through to the living room. He looked over his Childe sprawled across the sofa. "Comfy, Eric?"

"Rather, even if the furniture is older than our Mate."

A question popped into Anamaria's head. "Before anything happens, can I ask you guys a question?" She ushered Godric to the sofa. Eric scooted over so his Maker could sit down.

Godric replied cordially, "Of course, Anamaria."

She again perched on the sofa's arm. "How are you feeling about this? About us being Mates?" Neither vampire answered, just looked at her. She elaborated, "Are you okay with it? I mean, I know there's not a lot we can do about it-"

"Why wouldn't we be 'okay' with it?" Eric asked.

Anamaria sighed. "Because you've had a thousand years of freedom – to go where you wanted, do what you wanted, do _who_ you wanted… And now, some random Latina comes along and suddenly you can't do any of those things anymore. Most guys would be pretty pissed off if that happened to them."

Eric and Godric looked at each other seriously, then burst out laughing. "Oh, Anamaria," Eric laughed.

"Really, little one? You think we're upset about our relationship?"

Anamaria frowned. "It's just that-"

Eric shook his head, taking hold of Anamaria's ankle and gently pulling her off the arm of the sofa, on to the cushion next to him. "You forget, _älskling_ , that during those years, we both heard stories of Mates. Of the joy and greatness that fell upon those blessed enough to be given a Mate. You're not a punishment, Anamaria; you're the greatest reward any vampire could ever have asked for."

On the verge of tears, Anamaria stood up. "And on that surprisingly sweet note, I think it's time we went upstairs to bed."

"We need a bed?" Eric teased, standing up.

Godric stood, too. "Not always, Childe," he winked.

"The first time for a serious relationship should always be in a bed. Everybody knows that," Anamaria called over her shoulder as she headed upstairs, making sure to add a little extra swing to her hips and a bounce to her step.

"Secure the house, Eric," Godric ordered, following their Mate upstairs, eyes firmly fixed on her ass. Godric just made it to the top of the stairs before Eric appeared at his side, having checked the house at vamp-speed. The older vampire rolled his eyes at his Childe's antics, and they both stepped into Anamaria's bedroom.

The Latina was clearly nervous and over-thinking. They needed an ice-breaker. Eric asked, "New bedsheets?"

Anamaria turned her head and looked at the bed. She frowned as she looked over the white sheets, "Uh, no?"

"When we were in here last, the flowers were multi-coloured. The same floral pattern, but definitely multi-coloured."

There was a beat, and then she laughed. "Right. No, no. They're not multi-coloured." She walked over to her bedside table, opened the top drawer and withdrew something. She tossed it to Eric, who turned over the item in his hands.

" _Machine washable fabric pens_?" he read the label aloud.

Godric chuckled. "I see. The bedsheets are normally white, but you colour them in and then wash the colours out when you're done."

Anamaria shrugged. "As if you expected anything else," she gestured to the walls of her room, which were almost completely covered in drawings, sketches, and paintings.

"What is your obsession with art?" Eric asked, walking over to the nearest wall and looking over some of the art. Most of the works were either geometric or abstracts designs, or landscapes, with only a few charcoal portraits. He recognised Adele, Tara, Lafayette and Jason as some of her subjects.

Anamaria shrugged as she walked over to him, standing side by side as she examined her work. "I don't know. I think I like the capture the world, but add my own twist to it."

"By making everything brightly coloured? I didn't know there were trees that had purple, pink, _and_ blue leaves," he teased.

She ignored his tease and shrugged again. "The world is so boring in black and white. Yes, it can be useful to capture an image and use serious or sombre monotones. But that's not my style."

"Your body art is proof of that," Godric quipped from the other side of the room, flicking through a stack of canvases propped up against a far wall.

"You're just jealous because all your ink is black." She playfully stuck her tongue out at him. Before she could retract it, Godric had vamp-sped over to her and gently seized the tongue between his teeth. She giggled at the awkward kiss, then pulled her tongue back when he allowed it, but kept her lips against his.

They kissed for real that time, Godric resting his hands on her hips. Anamaria's mind wandered a little as she kissed the older vampire, who actually looked younger than both her and Eric, who had come in behind her and was nuzzling her hair. She found that Godric had a much better stature for kissing than Eric did. The Viking was almost a whole foot taller than her, which made it a little awkward for them to kiss, as she had to stand on her tip-toes as Eric leant down. But Godric was only a few inches taller than her; the perfect height for kissing, as she could comfortably drape her arms around his shoulders.

Eric slid her hair over to one side and began nuzzling and kissing the side of her neck. She was still getting used to the feel of their mouths and lips and hands; they were cold. Not unpleasant, but it still surprised her a little every time they touched her in some way. The feel of their cool bodies pressing up against her own heated form sent pleasurable shivers down her spine, and her nipples throbbed as they hardened.

Godric pulled his mouth just off hers. "You said you needed a bed?" he spoke gently, his lips moving against hers as she panted for breath.

She nodded with a soft moan, and the two vampires walked her backwards to the bed, Eric still behind her. The Viking sat down on the bed, gently pulling Anamaria to sit between his spread legs. When she did so, he turned her face to his and claimed her lips under his own. Sitting down, their height difference wasn't so noticeable, and it was much easier for them to kiss. Eric wrapped an arm around her waist, keeping her pressed against his hard body.

There was a ruffle of clothing, and Anamaria pulled away a little, to see that Godric had pulled his linen shirt over his head. Her mouth watered as she looked over his muscled and well-sculpted chest and abs. She must have made a noise, because both vampires chuckled, and Eric kissed her neck again.

"I take it you approve of my body, Anamaria?" Godric asked, getting on his knees before her.

Instead of words, she just gave a moan, licking her lips and swallowing to stop herself drooling all over her Mate. "Jesus Christ…"

Eric reprimanded her playfully, "Can you not say another man's name now."

"I concur, Eric," Godric winked as he glided his fingertips up Anamaria's thighs, skimming the waistband of her yoga pants. "I would much rather hear my name or yours fall from our Mate's lips."

"Especially when one of us is half-naked and on our knees."

"Absolutely," he smirked. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of Anamaria's pants and underwear, then paused. "Anamaria? Is this alright?"

She nodded frantically, hurriedly lifting her hips to help the vampire slide her bottoms off. He did so slowly, his fingers skimming her thighs and shins. She quickly praised herself for shaving that morning. Godric also pulled her socks off, then looked at her core, hidden by her closed thighs and the bottom of her shirt.

"Eric," he said gently, resting his hands on her knees. The other man started to slowly pull her top over her head, when she stopped him.

"Hang on! Uh, can we just…"

"Are we going too fast?" Godric asked in concern.

"No! No, no, no!" she assured quickly. "I just haven't done my sit-ups for a few days and I ate a big breakfast earlier and-"

Eric placed a finger on her lips, quietening her. "Anamaria, we have said before: you have nothing to worry about regarding your body. You are beautiful. Despite the twenty-first century's obsession with weight, not all men are so concerned with how much their partner weighs or how much body fat they have. Your figure and your curves are very appealing to us, we assure you. You are beautiful," he repeated firmly, waiting until she relaxed again and nodded, before easing her shirt over her head, leaving her in a yoga bra.

Impressed by his Childe's handling of their Mate's insecurities, Godric continued. "Open for me, little one," he encouraged, and she obeyed with a whimper.

As Anamaria spread her legs for Godric, Eric touched the rim of her bra. "Have you nothing a little fancier, _älskling_?" He asked. She didn't take offence, as she knew he didn't mean it that way.

"I need the support," she answered, letting Godric lift one of her legs and drape it over one of Eric's. She hooked her ankle behind his leg, to secure herself.

Eric hummed in approval as he cupped her bountiful breasts in his large hands. "Indeed. You _are_ blessed, little one."

"Not exactly 'little', Eric," she quipped with a playful smile, her hips bucking when Godric danced his fingertips up and down the inside of her thighs.

"In my human days, men would have been pounding down your door to marry you."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Anamaria giggled, then moaned as Godric ran his fingertip over her labia and clit. Just as the vampire was about to lean in, she stopped him by pressing her palm to his cool forehead. "Godric, quick ground rule. I know I'm saying this to two vampires, but: no teeth on delicate places, _capiche_?" Both vampires just laughed. "Alright then, get to it."

Anamaria gasped. Godric was an expert at oral. He started slowly, placing gentle and sweet kisses on her lips, over her clit. He would flick his tongue a little, just enough to tease her throbbing clit, but not to let her come. Eric wasn't idle, either. His hands ran up and down her sides, his smooth nails leaving tingling lines along her skin. He would cup her breasts, and thumb and roll her nipples as he kissed and suckled at her neck. As Eric gently bit into the soft flesh at the back of her neck, Godric slid two fingers into her, curling them just right. That was all she needed. Her inner muscles clamped down on the fingers inside her, and she cried out her end as she gripped Eric's jeans. Her body shook as her juices trickled down Godric's digits, the vampire greedily licking them up as he kept up a gentle rhythm inside her to prolong her orgasm.

The vampires let Anamaria catch her breath. Godric gently slid his fingers from her, making her gasp and moan, then offered his juice-covered fingers to Eric. The younger vampire took the two fingers into his mouth, moaning at the taste of their Mate, his cock throbbing his jeans. Despite everything that had just happened, the men's actions made Anamaria blush.

"There's no need to feel embarrassed, Anamaria," Godric assured her.

"You taste divine," Eric moaned, licking his Maker's palm to make sure he got every drop of Anamaria's juices.

Before Anamaria could blush any more, Godric pulled his cock out of his linen pants. "Are you ready?" he asked her, surprising all three of them with the tenderness in his own voice. She nodded as she looked down at his cock. A nice length, and thick. She briefly wondered about Eric's cock as Godric lined himself up with her entrance. He looked to her again. She nodded again, frantically, relaxing against Eric's body.

Then, just as he entered her, as his hips met hers, Anamaria began to convulse.


End file.
